


Strange Love

by Mordredful



Series: The Boneless and the Backbone [1]
Category: Black Sails, Vikings (TV)
Genre: Bisexuality, Cultural Differences, Depression, Disability, Friendship, Multi, Pirates, Sex, Skinny Dipping, Vikings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-26
Updated: 2017-12-16
Packaged: 2018-12-20 04:55:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 54
Words: 39,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11913651
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mordredful/pseuds/Mordredful
Summary: Ivar meets his future wife while Sigurd discovers that he is not Ragnar's biological son. Ubbe has to battle his own demons. His marriage with Margrethe made him more depressed than ever. Jack Rackham wants only the very best for his employees and gives Idelle permission to leave. Sigurd's father convinces Ragnar to check himself into rehab and Lagertha is the first in command for the time being.  Hvitserk is hungry for love and Ned Low has a drinking problem. The famous pirate meets Ragnar in rehab.THIS STORY IS NOW COMPLETED.





	1. PART I - The boy with the blue eyes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first fanfiction story ever and English is not my mother tongue.
> 
>  
> 
> [FAMILY TREES]
> 
> (Ragnar) & Lagertha  
> Bjorn Ironside
> 
> Ragnar & Aslaug  
> Ubbe / Hvitserk / Ivar 
> 
> Airki & (Aslaug)  
> Sigurd
> 
> Helga & Floki
> 
> Andrej & Marija Struna  
> Zala / Anze / Zan / Bojan
> 
> Margrethe
> 
> Jack Rackham  
> Idelle
> 
> Edward 'Ned' Low

[ZALA POV]

I always hated doing household chores. I just couldn’t understand why women always had to do these kinds of things while men could do whatever they wanted. I was so fed up with the power imbalance between men and women that I threw my dishes on the ground and ran straight to the forest. I hoped that every other woman in my village didn’t pay any attention to my antics because they would not agree with my behavior.  

Young women here from a very young age learn that they have to obey their own father until they fly the nest. If this doesn’t sound so bad,  it’s also your very own father who decides who will become your future husband. Some girls are lucky and have a say in their marriage arrangements, however, my own father won’t give a fuck about my own preferences. For him, it’s all about the money and ensuring an heir. Sometimes I wished that we weren’t one of the most wealthy families in this village. As a result of this, many low-born boys tried to ask my father’s blessing for a marriage. At least I’m lucky enough that my father dismissed all their marriage proposals, though it won’t be long before he accepts an offer.  He’s running out of time. I’m already eighteen-years-old and most girls are married off when they are sixteen. But enough about this, I made it safe to the forest.

There runs a stream through this forest. Most of the time I only saw some deer drinking water from the stream, but this time there was something else that met my eye. It was a young boy who was sitting on a tree trunk. He seemed out of place and I wondered why he wore straps around his legs. Was he captured or did he try to make a fashion statement?  And where was his weapon?  Did he cover his weapon with moss so he would be able to capture me? Was it all a trap?  I wanted to know more about this, therefore I decided to blow my whistle. The fake bird sound immediately caught his attention. This was not what I anticipated and I made sure that he couldn’t see me standing behind a large tree. I blew a second time and the boy turned his head, but it did look like he couldn’t stand up.

Worried about his lack of movement, I ran to this guy. I didn’t think about the consequences, I just wanted to be sure that this person was okay. I was lucky, he was really alone. The young boy stared at my body like he hadn’t seen a girl before and I couldn’t get my eyes off his blue eyes. It was the first time in my life that I met somebody who didn’t have brown eyes. Amazed by our differences, we stood there in silence for a few minutes. The guy started to make arm movements that I had to get closer to him. I was in doubt but struck by his beauty.  If this guy really had a knife hidden in his straps to kill me, at least I would be able to say that I met the boy with the most beautiful eyes before I died.


	2. An understanding cripple

All my worries were put to rest when the unknown boy opened his mouth. While I couldn’t understand completely what he was saying, I recognized a few words and that made me feel safe. My dad sometimes traded spices with people from the northern parts of the world and therefore he needed to learn words from other languages spoken by the merchants. My dad was always very proud of himself when he learned a few new words and he always shared those new contributions at the dining table. Me, the girl who had nothing else to do then doing household chores, was always eager to learn those new words and now I could finally put those words to use.

I did my hardest best to ask the boy how he did end up here in this forest. Unfortunately, my first try of speaking Old Norse didn’t pay off as I hoped. The boy started to laugh in my face. What a rude thing to do when somebody of a different part of the world tries to interact with you. When I said: “Didn’t you learn any manners?” in my own language, something unexpected happened. The boy answered my question as a native speaker. Before I could even ask him how he learned my language, he told me that he travelled a lot with his father. His father was Ragnar Lothbrok, a legendary Viking warrior. Even in my own culture, the stories of Ragnar Lothbrok and his sons are known, but not in a positive way. The Norse men are known for bloodshed, rape and pillaging. This meeting started as a dream but quickly turned in a nightmare. I didn’t expect that this young boy would be able to do such evil things. How could he be a killer when he was not able to walk? 

I didn’t feel safe anymore. The safest thing for me to do was to leave this guy behind and inform my dad that we were in great danger. One of the sons of Lothbrok was here, what if more of his siblings would show up in Celenje? They would kill all my people and burn our houses to the ground. Everything would be my fault. But this girl didn’t listen to her brains but chose to follow her heart. I couldn’t leave this boy alone in the forest. He needed me and those blue eyes were hard to ignore.

The boy read my body language and knew that I was very indecisive at first. He said to me: “You don’t have to be scared. I promise you that I won’t hurt you.” But he did hurt me already by coming to me. Or rather, I was so stupid to come over where he was sitting. “How would I be able to cause harm, when I’m unable to walk without any help? Did you ever hear a story of a crippled murder? I bloody don’t think so.” And that question by him made me think. I had to do something.

I asked him if I could touch him to be sure that he didn’t have any weapons hidden from me. He agreed with my proposal. Even for Ragnar Lothbrok’s son, it was understandable that I didn’t trust a stranger completely. First I checked if nothing was lingering on the ground for the sake of my own safety. While doing so, he finally told me his name. Ivar the Boneless. Not a single bone in my body regretted my decision to stay and inspect Ivar’s body. For the first time in my life I couldn’t keep my eyes off someone’s body…


	3. Forge a story

There were no weapons to be found on the ground. The closer I came to Ivar, the harder my heart started to beat. This guy was very special, too bad that his breath smelled like rotten fish. I guess Vikings did not take proper care of themselves or was there another reason why this good-looking boy had low hygiene standards? I did not dare to tell him how bad he smelled but he had no trouble reading my facial expression. 

“I’m so sorry that I smell so awful. I have three brothers and normally I’m the one who takes the best care of himself. My older brother Ubbe never grooms his body. His body hair is so nasty that his lovely wife, Margrethe, found objects that got stuck in his hair. I will spare you the details.”

I tried to cover my mouth with my hands to keep myself from laughing out loud.

“Don’t feel bad for laughing. Laughing is good for your health. It’s a cheaper medicine than the garbage that my dad uses. He’s addicted to cannabis and it slows him down. Still, he was the one that left me behind. My cart broke down and he couldn’t carry me for a longer period of time. He saw no other option than parting ways. According to him, nobody would harm a crippled child.”

How horrible that his own family couldn’t take care of him. In my culture, it is not acceptable to leave your children behind, no matter how dangerous the situation is. Your children are your pride, or must I say price? I’m my fathers only daughter. Just like Ivar, I have three brothers but they would never drop me off. They are younger than me and not even old enough to marry. I’m the oldest of the bunch yet I have less freedom. They can choose their own wife but they can’t pick a low-born girl.

Ivar told me that in his culture, women are free to choose their own partner. They only have one rule. You have to be pagan but you are also accepted when you change your beliefs. Why am I not a part of his culture?

“Don’t be so upset. There are more important matters to discuss. Are you planning to leave me here till I die and rot? Please tell me that you’re better than this and that my dad was right about young cripples.”

‘”Yes, you are right Ivar. We need to make a plan. You can come with me, but you have to lie my family otherwise they would kill you immediately. I can’t carry you myself, my brothers need to help me. Before I go back to town, we need to invent a story. Every villager needs to hear the same things to make it reliable.”

Ivar gave me permission to forge a story. First I had to come up with a name. Tian is nowadays a very popular boy name and perfect for a guy like Ivar. “From now on, you are Tian and I will only call you by your true name when we’re alone. We will tell everybody that your own father decided to get rid of you because he felt ashamed of you. Tell everybody that you can’t remember the town you grew up in because your parents kept you inside and separated from your siblings who don’t know that you’re still alive. You only had contact with your parents. ”

Until this moment I was forgotten to tell him my own name. Zala is not a very unusual name for Celenian people who live in this village. 

“It’s nice to meet you Zala. I forgot to tell you how pretty you are.” I didn’t know to respond because he looked better than I would ever be.


	4. The search party

In the meantime, when I was in the forest, my mother organized a big search party. I didn’t know how long I was absent. It could have been a few hours or almost the whole day. The only thing I was sure of was you. Ivar, you were the light in my dark world. My mother started to cry when she saw me coming out of the forest. My clothes were intact and everything seemed normal at first. However, my mother thought otherwise. “Zala, what happened to your hair? All those leaves in your hair. Is that a bird nest? ”

“Mom, how I look is not important,” said I annoyed and somewhat uneasy. I left without leaving you a message because I heard a child screaming in the forest for help. Nobody else seemed to hear it, so I went alone. I could have been in great danger in the forest, but there was only a boy sitting on a tree trunk near the seam. “

My mother looked disturbed. "How dare you? If your father hears this, he will be so upset. It’s not safe outta here and you know that.”

I got furious. “But if one of my younger brothers went to the forest without telling anyone, you wouldn’t make such a big deal out of it. And this is the reason mom, why I went alone. I’m tired of being treated like crap. Women are equal and I’m an adult now. Please don’t tell dad what happened. ”

My mom started to cry even harder after I said that I wanted to be treated equally. But I couldn’t control my tears either.

“Why do we argue so much? There is a boy in the forest that really needs our help right now. He is a cripple and his parents left him behind because they felt ashamed of his physical state. His name is Tian, he is nineteen years old and unable to walk on his own. He can really use a shower, clean clothes and needs to be fed.”

My mother had stopped crying and went back to our home. She called my two younger brothers Zan and Anze. And yeah, I know that those names sound similar but my parents are terrible with names. All our names include an A. The name of my third, and youngest brother is Bojan. 

Bojan walked to me and asked if that lost boy was younger than him. I had to disappoint him. “Tian is almost three times the age of you, but please be kind to him when he gets here.” Bojan nodded and went back to our kitchen. 

My mother and my two other brothers picked up the stretcher from our shed. My mother asked me how long it would take to get there. I told her that I can’t remember how long it took me to find the boy. My mother had a hard time carrying the stretcher after fifteen minutes. “I’m not prepared for an expedition.” I took the stretcher from her and pointed to the stream in the forest. Tian was nowhere to be found.


	5. The long wait

[IVAR POV]  
  
Zala was gone for at least an hour. The longer I had to wait, the more impatient I became. What if she never returned? My legs started to hurt after wearing my braces with straps 24 hours a day. Normally I only wear them when I go outside. Without my braces, my legs look like the lower part of a marionette. 

People make fun of me when I don’t wear my braces. I was bullied at school for having a disability, so one day my mother Aslaug decided to homeschool me. My mother spent more time with me than with my brothers and my siblings became very jealous. My youngest brother, Sigurd, said that no girl would love me. I always thought he was right until I met Zala. She accepts me for who I am.

Maybe the situation I was in wasn’t so bad. I was away from my brothers and my druggie dad. The poor guy could hardly handle his divorce from Lagertha. My mother Aslaug, his second wife, did her very best to take care of his problems. Nevertheless, her effort was never good enough for Ragnar. Maybe he was jealous too that she cared more about me.

My legs started to feel itchy. I wished that I could wipe the sweat off my body. Unfortunately, I did not have a towel or extra clothes. I had to wait for help. Perhaps I could already take off my shoes. The straps were easy to undo. I even had even enough strength in my hands to take my socks off. I was stronger than I thought I could be.

I decided to crawl to the stream to wash my feet. The rest of my body had to wait. This was the least I could do for Zala. I still had a bad breath. 

It was very hot so I crawled to a large tree. I sat in the shade of the tree with my shoes and braces next to me. I imagined that I heard a bird chirping or was it Zala’s flute? She is already gone for a long time. My bully brother Sigurd had also a flute. He was an excellent musician. I don’t think that Sigurd inherited his musical talent from his father. Ragnar only knew how to handle the triangle.

My mother used to be good at singing before I was born. She lured people with her voice. It was always a trap. By the way, this is how my parents met each other. My mother could not resist Ragnar and Ragnar was also impressed by my mother’s appearance. My dad has the same blue eyes as me. This is the only thing we have in common. My brother Ubbe looks more like Ragnar. He even copied his hairstyle and beard. I don’t like to have very long hair but if I have to wait here for years, my hair will be as long as Rapunzel’s. Zala has beautiful long hair. I wanted to run through her hair with my fingers. Hopefully, she doesn’t keep weird stuff in her hair like Ubbe does. That would be a huge turnoff. 

I heard some footsteps but I did not dare to turn around. What if this person was not Zala but somebody else?


	6. The most beautiful boy

[ZALA POV]

Ivar was not sitting on the tree trunk near the stream. It might have been that someone else had taken him to my village. But there was also another scenario: that he didn't speak the truth. He told me everything about his family. The problems he had with his father and siblings and the wonderful relationship he maintained with his mother. It could be possible that he made it all up to win my trust. Perhaps his family wanted to know more about my village before they would go on a raid. Maybe it was hard for the Norsemen to investigate the risk of raiding Celenje. These concerns were just a few of the many thoughts that went through my head.

Another possibility was that he was so thirsty that he crawled to the stream to drink a few sips of water. It could be the case that he lost his balance and dropped in the river. I did not know if he could swim. Though I imagined that Norsemen were much better swimmers than the residents of Celenje. We did not own boats or earn money with fishing. In fact, most people here did not make enough money to eat fish. My own family was an exception.

My mother lost her patience. "Zala I don't know where your imaginary friend is but I have more important things to do. I still need to do some household chores because you didn't complete your task when you left our house. I don't want to waste any more of my time waiting here."

I couldn't believe what my mother said. That she really thought that I made it all up. "Mom, please give me a few more minutes. I have an idea. I could use my flute to gain Tian's attention". Why didn't I think of this before? I only had to whistle for a few seconds before I heard somebody calling my name.

“ZAAALAAAAAAAAA I’m here behind the tree. I think I fell asleep because I was tired of doing nothing but you came back to save me.”

My brother Zan and Anze walked towards Tian and lifted him up. Tian arose and did his best to divide his weight on the stretcher. He didn't know if it was a better idea to sit on this stretcher even though it was more comfortable for him to lay down. Zan said it was better if Tian tried to sit down and that's what he did.

Within twenty minutes we were home and my mother said that I could spend the rest of my day with Tian. Yay, no more chores for me today.

Ivar and I went together to the bathroom. Ivar started to undress while I went to search for clothes. Ivar was lucky that he was small for his age that he could wear Anze's clothes. When I returned to the bathroom, Ivar told me to keep my eyes closed.

"Believe me you don't want to see a cripple naked. My appearance will haunt you in your dreams." 

I felt unhappy that he was so negative about his own body. A few tears ran down Ivar’s face. 

"I will always accept you the way you are. I think that you are the most beautiful boy in this world".

I opened my eyes and there was a smile on Ivar's face. What followed was an awkward silence. I did not know where to look. For me sat a beautiful boy in an old chair, but he was naked. This was the first time in my life that I saw a naked man who was not one of my brothers.


	7. Lavender

[IVAR POV]

The way she looked at me was different. A lot of girls made fun of me. They said that I had beautiful blue eyes but the body of a monster. How could they say that I’m a monster when they haven’t met my father? Okay, my dad changed a lot since he started using drugs. He used to be a bloodthirsty man with the best fighting skills of Kattegat. I wish he was able to combat his drug addiction. It’s so hard to see him struggle every day.

But my biggest struggle was spending more time in this room with Zala. I couldn’t keep my eyes off her. I wished that I could touch her. I had overcome my sense of shame. But I still had to learn how to communicate with girls.  
There was another awkward silence. Maybe I needed to say something to comfort her? I could have said how beautiful she was or that I wanted to hug her.

I did something else. I decided to play a game since I’m a strategist. “Zala this is an awkward thing for me to say, but could you please help me to get clean? I’m able to bathe without any help in normal circumstances, but I’m so tired.”  
Things worked out as I hoped. She came to me with a weird object and said: “This is a dry brush that stimulates your blood circulation and improves your skin. You spend a lot of time in the woods without moving. Your body can use some love right now.”

She started to use the brush on my body. First, she placed it on one of my arms and started to make circular movements. The next part of my body that got all the attention was my back. She started at the top and ended just above my buttocks. This was a nice feeling but I wanted more.

Zala noticed the dryness of my skin. "I have a lotion to moisturize your body. Is it alright If I use this product on you? This lotion smells like lavender.”

I had to say something so she would use the lotion on my whole body. “Lavender has always been my favourite scent. Just do as you please.”

She rubbed the lotion into the skin of my back but a few drops of lotions were spilled on my butt. “I’m so sorry this was not my intention.” I said to her that it didn't matter but of course it did. I wanted her whole body for myself. She touched my behind while I told myself to stay quiet. But, I could not hold myself back. "Come closer to me there's something that I need to do".

I kissed her on the mouth. This was just the beginning. We were so attracted to each other that she opened her mouth and gave my tongue free reign. The next thing I did, was licking her neck. It was a damn shame that the rest of her body was covered with a linen dress.

She removed her dress before I could say something about it. I licked her neck again down to her nipples. They were hard. But there was more to explore. I laid my face down on Zala's breasts. Her perky boobs made me a very happy man. I grabbed her body lotion and covered her upper body with it.

I closed my eyes and imagined that we were having sex in the meadows. Zala touched my chest and I returned to reality. I wanted to lick the lotion off her body but I saw the hesitation in her eyes. “Maybe it’s better if I lean forward. I don’t want you to hurt yourself. Imagine leaving this room in worse condition then you entered. What would my mother think? ” I started to laugh. “She would think that you're a monster.”

After I was done with her upper body, I wanted to make myself more useful. I laid my bare hands on her tights. She wore a black thong. She didn't give me permission to take it off. “Save that for another day my love. We have to hurry. Dinner will be served in ten minutes.” We both took a shower and left the bath room in clean clothes.


	8. A daughter's hand

[IVAR POV]

Zala's mother made beef stew with carrots and potatoes. I sat next to Zala at the dinner table. Her father sat at the opposite end of the table and asked me a lot of questions while I tried to enjoy the food. I think he didn't believe me at first when I told him how I ended up here. But as the conversation progressed, he seemed to believe me anyway. "I can't believe your own parents left you behind. I would NEVER do that to my own children. My children are my responsibility until they marry or start their own family somewhere else."

I was relieved. But there was still another obstacle that I had to overcome: the burning question why my parents named me Tian. Zala had been so stupid to give me the traditional Celenian name 'Tian', while I never lived in this area. Until recently, I hardly knew anything about this country except for my knowledge of the official language. Without the help of my own family, I would not have learned Celenian. 

“I grew up in a town where most people work in fisheries. At least, that is what I’ve been told because I never came outside. My mother is of Celenian descent and she was the one that named me Tian. I’m proud of my heritage even though I have not been here before and that’s a real shame. So far, I really love the people here, they are all so friendly and helpful.”

“You can stay here as long as you want, Tian. But I have one condition. I need to meet your parents first If you want my daughter’s hand in marriage.”

“I don’t understand you Mister Struna. First, you said that I could only live here If I met the requirements, and now you’re saying that there is a possibility that I can become your son-in-law. What do you want to say with that?”

I was afraid Zala's father would be angry at me."What I was trying to say is the following. I don't care that you have a disability. You're a gifted man with a great talent for languages and you make my daughter very happy. I have never seen her so happy. I would love to have you as my son-in-law and as an employee of my company. But I like to meet your parents or someone else of your family.”

I didn't know what to say. “I am speechless but I will think about your proposal.” Zala's father smiled and both her parents gave us permission to leave the dining room.

I was allowed to sleep in Zala's bedroom because they did not have a guest room. After washing our hands, we went straight to her room. Anze carried me to her room. Zala's father informed me that he would buy me a walker so I could walk again. My braces with straps were still in a very good condition. I sat down on a chair and Anze closed the door. We were alone.

“Did I behave like a decent human being, Zala? I want to tear the clothes off your body. Like a monster.” Zala stood before me and started to kiss me.

She sat on my lap and looked at me. The guy who thought that he had to live his whole life with an erectile dysfunction had a boner.


	9. The Hairdresser

[ZALA POV]

I was astonished that my father accepted Ivar with open arms. I never imagined, in a million years, that he would give permission for a multicultural marriage. Most people in my culture prefer to marry someone of a similar background. I was an exception to the rule. Maybe my dad gave up on me or he couldn’t find suitable candidates for my marriage. Whatever it was, I did not have an arranged marriage. I was free to marry whom I loved dearly. Ivar and I came up with a plan before my dad changed his mind. 

Ivar told me about his friend Floki, a boat builder of Kattegat. Floki was once the best friend of his father. Their friendship was ruined by drugs. Ragnar forbade Ivar to stay in touch with Floki, but he kept visiting him. “Floki was like a father to me. He made a walker for me so I could walk. I miss him every day.” 

“Ivar, we could visit him soon and ask him to come with us. If he can play along well, then we will tie the knot soon.” Ivar said that Floki will do whatever it takes to protect him from his bad home environment. “Let’s visit him next week,” I said. He agreed with me. So that was arranged and we could do nicer things.

“Why do you always wear your hair up?,” said Ivar. I was aware of Ivar’s insecurities. He hated being the crippled child of a drugged king. But he didn’t know that I hated my hair, my biggest insecurity. I always wore it in a bun or multiple braids. “Because I don’t like my hair, Ivar. It tangles extremely easy. I wish it were more common for women here to have a shorter hairstyle.”

“On the day I met you, I couldn’t keep my eyes off your locks. But it’s not my decision to make, it’s your hair. If you want shorter hair, go for it. Hair grows back babe.” He was right. I could change it If I wanted. 

“But first I want to know how long it is, Princess Rapunzel.” I untied my hair for Ivar so he could see the hairy mess.

“Woah, it’s very long. Longer than I thought it would be. Does your hair cause headaches?” I said that it sometimes caused a headache. “Beauty is not worth the pain and you are not your hair. Should I cut your hair sweetheart?”

“But what about our marriage? ” I said. “Most women have long hair on their wedding day.”

“It’s our marriage and nobody else has a say in it. If men are allowed to get married with long or short hair, then women can do the same.” That was true. I gave Ivar permission to cut my hair shorter.

[IVAR POV]

“What a weird situation I'm in. First I’m able to marry the girl who saved my life and now I’m gonna save her from tangles and headaches.” Zala laughed and said that I saved her.

“As an amateur hairdresser, I need some tools. I need scissors, razors and a sharp knife. I promise you, my love, I won’t kill you.” Zala brought me a whole box of cutting tools. 

“I trust you completely, I don't know why, perhaps because you have a great sense of style. Just do something. If you fuck this up, you have to buy me a wig for our wedding day.”

“That’s going to be an expensive wedding present” replied I to her. Soo much sass has this girl.

“Do you want a massage first Zala? That’s what real hairdressers do.” “Cut me first, and touch me later,” was what she said. I combed Zala’s hair first. Angelic hair, the body of a goddess and no demons. I don’t deserve her.

She had really thick waist-length hair. Maybe a boob-length hairstyle would prevent her from having headaches in the future. I grabbed a pair of scissors and threw a towel over the mirror. “You aren’t allowed to see what I’m doing.”

The first five inches fell on the ground. “Hmmm, maybe it’s a better idea if I give you a more layered cut. But how do they do it?” Zala kept her mouth shut.

I tried to make the front a bit shorter but I failed hard. This was not a great idea. Her hair was still long enough to give it another try so that’s what I did. Snip, snip snip, another five inches on the ground. The ground was now hairier than what I had on my own head.

I decided to try a different technique. I mumbled, “How did my own mother do this?”. Aslaug did mostly a great job. But whatever hairstyle she tried on Sigurd, he always looked like a sheep. His hair has different textures than most of the ragnarssons.

I cut each strand of hair separately but I created an even bigger disaster. I snagged a hair tie and did the remaining hair in a ponytail. It looked cute in a little bun, however, it looked like shit untied. I opted for a drastic cut and cropped her hair. It was now 1,5 inches above her shoulder. It was not layered but a very blunt bob. She looked so cute this way. Zala’s hair was now shorter than my own. What would she think about this?

I removed the towel and took a deep breath and said “It’s pretty short. I’m so sorry.”

“Oh my god, this is so different compared to what I’m used to. But I really like it, Ivar. You have inherited your mother’s talent for hairstyling. My long hair was a huge burden. It took me hours to dry and don’t forget those headaches. I feel so light.”

I was happy that she thought I didn’t fuck it up. I was so afraid of her reaction.

“I want to give you a kiss, but how do we get rid of all those loose hairs on my body? My hair is everywhere!”. I had a plan and said, “Take me to your bathroom.”

[IVAR POV]

She helped me going to the bathroom. I sat on a chair and I asked her to sit on my lap. She looked hotter than ever. My manhood couldn't take it anymore. I had to take action. “May I undress you, babe? She nodded yes and I removed her shirt. She wore a crop top underneath her shirt. I put my hand on her top. “Wait not so fast,” she said. “Give me your hand Ivar.”

I panicked because I wanted to do everything my way. “Please tell me that your dad didn’t give you an engagement ring.”

“I’ve got something for ya that is much better, but I need your hand first.” Zala unbuttoned her trousers and placed my hand on her thong. “Do you remember last time when we didn't have enough time to do it?” – “Yes, babe.”

“The time is right to get the job done. But there is one thing that I need you to tell. I feel kinda ashamed to ask you this, but you aren’t finished yet with your job as a hairstylist.” I wonder what she tried to tell me. Zala placed my hand in her underwear. I touched her mons. It felt so soft.

“Do you like a woman’s pubic area shaved or hairy?” That was a great question. I never thought about that. Zala gave me a razor. “You have to decide it for yourself, I’m all yours Ivar. But don’t make me bleed, It’s not that time of the month yet.” We both laughed. 

“If I fuck this up, I’m fucked in a way I don’t like to be fucked. Well, I don’t like hair between my teeth, so I get rid of this fucking hair anyway.” It took me less than a minute to get the job done and everything felt so smooth.

Zala dropped all her clothes on the ground. “You’re a good girl. “Don't you deserve some pleasure?” I put my fingers inside of her and she started to moan. “Never stop Ivar..” I ran my tongue up and down her clit. She was so wet that I took advance of it. She tasted like the salt of the sea.

“Turn around and come closer.” I tried to get up but I couldn’t stand steady. “Sorry babe, I still need to regain the strength in my lower body.” She was disappointed but not surprised. “Let’s take a shower and see what we can do tomorrow”.


	10. Yellow shit rat

[SIGURD POV]

My brothers Bjorn, Ubbe, Hvitserk and Ivar were on a raid. I was told to stay at home. My mother Aslaug wanted to speak to me alone. I always had the feeling that I was definitely her least favorite son. She treasured Ivar the most and praised Ubbe for his honesty. Unfortunately, most of the time she was dishonest about what she really thought of me. But not today. She wondered why I didn’t build muscle by working out like my other siblings. “Even Ivar has a fit body and he has a disability. He has strong arms and a muscular upper body. Your body reminds me of a stick. Do you want to keep looking like a prepubescent child?” Why did she say these awful things to hurt me?

“Ubbe is a real chick magnet and so is Hvitserk. Even Bjorn, who is only your half-brother, does a better job in the love department. He married twice a nice girl. His first wife left him for no reason, but Torvi, his second wife, is a good-looking gal. If you want to attract girls or guys, you need to work on your looks. Nobody falls in love with a yellow shit rat. Gain muscle and grow a beard.”

I did not know what to say, only that I hated her more than Halfdan who called me “a titless little lady”.

“You know I can't grow a beard like my dad Ragnar, Aslaug. I have a leaner frame and gaining muscle would look weird on me. Why can’t you accept me for who I am, your own fucking son. Am I really your son or did you lie to me? I don't look like any of my family. Please tell me the truth. Am I adopted?” An Awkward silence passed between me and my so-called mother.

“Why do you treat me like you don't care? But you do care. You only care about your own reputation.”

What I said was the truth. She married Ragnar only because she was hungry for power. Her ultimate dream was to be named “the queen of Kattegat”. Too bad Ragnar’s ex-girlfriend Lagertha still wore that title with honor. Lagertha was an honorable woman. My dad treated her bad so she broke up with him. Kudos to her. She set a good example for her son Bjorn.

My mother opened her mouth again. She told me more Gibberish than my dad ever did when he was under the influence of drugs. “Yes, hairy weasel, you are adopted by Ragnar. I wanted to kill you the moment you were born but Ragnar didn’t agree with that. I hope he regrets that life decision because you are the ugliest person that I've ever seen in my whole life.” I wanted to scream and walk away but I couldn’t do that. I wanted to know who my real father was.

“Your real father is a friend of Torstein. Airikr “Airki” lives not in Kattegat anymore. He resides in Sandnes, a small town that is only eight hours from Kattegat. I made him leave this town when I knew I was pregnant by him. He knows that you are alive but I made a pact with him. If he ever tried to meet you, I would cut your damn throat.” You can meet him if you want, but you won’t be able to return to Kattegat.”

Ugh, I didn't want to choose. I still loved this place because I grew up here. Ragnar saved my bloody life, while I wasn’t his real son and he knew that. Why didn't he tell me this secret? I’m old enough to know such things. I decided that it was better for me to leave this place. I could leave in silence, nobody would ask me questions.

“I’m going to leave this place. Thanks for giving birth to a yellow shit rat.”

I grabbed my arm ring, a knife, some clean clothes and my dog Marble. I couldn’t leave my best friend behind!

I left a small note in Ragnar’s favorite pair of shoes. I wanted to thank him for everything that he had done for me


	11. A centaur played the tambourine

[IVAR POV]

I woke up very early in the morning. It was Sunday which meant that Zala and I could do whatever we wanted. No household chores, family breakfast or church visits this day! We were both fully clothed in bed. I was not used to this at all, but it was not very respectful to sleep naked here. Zala’s mother told me yesterday that Bojan, the youngest child of the family, would sometimes come into your bedroom to ask you for your help. He needed you to check for monsters under his bed. I don’t want him to see me naked. It would upset him.

Bojan reminded me sometimes of Sigurd. When my youngest brother was little, he asked Ragnar the same thing. Aslaug told me that Sigurd nowadays sleeps with his dog in his bed. I would never let a dog sleep in my bed. Dogs aren’t humans and they smell very bad. Only women like Zala are allowed to sleep in my bed. I tried to fall asleep again and succeed.

I dreamed of a harem of young women clad in wolf-pelts. They all wore masks made of raven feathers. They circled me for a few minutes like a pack of wolves. I did not know if I was the hunter or their prey. I was impressed by their dance routine. All the ladies shook their hips on the beat of a war drum. I didn’t see anyone playing an instrument until a centaur with a tambourine appeared. The fantasy creature was bigger than all women combined. Why did this tambourine sound like a war drum and why did a centaur play this instrument? So many questions kept popping up in my mind.

The centaur started to play a different rhythm. The women had a clothing change. Gone were the feathered masks and wolf-pets. They were now all covered up in flowy, floor-length dresses with bell sleeves and a huge fur- lined hood. No skin was left to study, what a pity! The women jumped around in unison with their hands in the air.

The centaur began to play another song, meanwhile, the women came closer to me. They all looked like sisters to me. Hazel eyes, thick lips, and prominent collar bones. What a lovely features but I couldn’t see their hair.

One woman stepped outside the circle and walked towards me. She started to strip down. First, she removed her floor-length dress. Underneath this dress, she wore a similar dress and after removing that frock, another floor-length dress emerged. What is the point of wearing so many similar dresses? Just wear a coat.

I wondered if Zala had similar dresses in her wardrobe. The linen tunic she wore two days ago was was much simpler than this floor-length dress with a fur-lined hood. I rather saw her in a negligee. There is almost nothing sexier than a see-through nightgown with matching panties. My mother had a lot of these type of dresses in her closet. Ragnar was a lucky man.


	12. Punishment for oversleeping

[ZALA POV]

Ivar was still sleeping. He looked so small in my king size bed. It was only now that I discovered that he had sideburns. I was thirsty and stepped out of my bed. I needed something to drink. I entered the kitchen where my mother was baking a fruit pie. “My love, what have you done to your hair? ” she whispered. “I cut it. Well, I asked Ivar to cut it. My hair looked like a bird’s nest, mom. I’m as free as a bird now.”

“But what would father think of this? He loved your long locks. You were his little princess”. Why does she keep thinking that my dad’s opinion matters? It’s my body.

“Mom, princesses don’t do household chores. And I’m a grown-up woman and I’m planning to get married soon. “

“What did you say about princesses Zala?” said my dad. I turned around and he was standing in front of the door. “Tell Ivar that he did a good job. This haircut brings attention to your facial features.” I was relieved to see that my parents both liked my new hairstyle. “Thanks, Dad.”

I snatched two cups and a jug of water from the kitchen counter and went back to my room. My boyfriend was still asleep.

I took three sips of water and sat down on a chair near my wardrobe. When I looked at my clothes, I came up with an idea. I wanted to surprise Ivar. I grabbed my most sexy clothes and decided to wear it underneath my big shirt.

What am I going to do when he’s still asleep? I sat down in my chair and stared at Ivar’s braces. They were completely made by hand. The leather components had an embossed rune pattern. I wished that I could read those signs. I wanted to know more of the Viking culture. Ivar’s leather pants lay down on the ground. They were made of butter soft leather. I could imagine myself wearing letter pants in the future like a real bad ass. Most women in Celenje wear mainly dresses and skirts while pants are more practical. I did not understand that.

I waited another hour and Ivar was still sleeping in my bed. I could no longer sit still so I made breakfast. Two fried eggs and some bread and pear jam were enough for the simple reason that my mother baked a pie. We would get a slice of homemade cake later this morning. My mother owned a garden with organic fruit trees. Apple trees, pear trees, she had it all. She sold her remaining fruit to neighbors to make extra money. This was her only income. My dad made more money than my mom.

I was so tired of waiting that I poured water over Ivar’s head and said, “Wake up bedhead! It is now eleven o'clock. You slept for eleven hours.”

[IVAR POV]

I was wet because she threw water over me. I could see my own body through my shirt. “If you want to see my abs, all you have to do is ask, naughty girl. Now I need to take my shirt off. ”

“Your torso is a work of art. If I were an artist, I would have used your body for all my paintings,” was what she said before she came closer to inspect me. Her hands searched under my shirt and she touched my chest. She asked me why my body felt so cold compared to her body and begged me to warm me up.

I took my shirt off and sat up straight in bed. It was her turn, “I need to punish you for oversleeping, love”. She blindfolded me with my old shirt and used a few of my straps to chain me to her bed. She knew I was up for that.

She warned me that she would throw water over me if I kept talking. “The wrong kind of wetness is not what you have in mind. So don’t speak.”

I felt some fresh air at my crotch area. She traced her fingers around my lower back. I sensed that her hands were warm. She opened my pants and slowly slid her hand into the back of my pants. She pushed my pants down for a bit. “I was forgotten how hairy you are for your age. Your trail really makes me horny.” That was good to hear. She was a real trailblazer.

She started to lick the uncovered part of my sex. After that, she licked me from my neck till the bottom of my stomach. “It’s just that I can’t wait, otherwise you had to spend the next 1,5 hour blindfolded and naked chained to my bed. The same amount of time that you wasted by oversleeping. I was awake at nine. You’ve been a bad boy, Ivar.”

I wanted to touch her so badly but I was in chains. I couldn’t move more than a few inches. Again I sensed her warmth, and she pushed my pants and boxers down with her hands. My cock was free. She put it in her mouth and sucked it. Up and down she went for a long time. I wished that I was able to see her. Did she still wore some clothes or was she naked just like me? It didn’t take long before I could see what she was doing. I was blinded no more. She still wore her big shirt.

“I know what you’re thinking. Why are you wearing that ugly shirt while I’m naked? I don’t have an answer but I wear this special for you." She removed her shirt and decided to sit on my lap with her legs wrapped around my waist. She was close enough to me that I could take off her negligee and lace panties. Was she able to read my mind? Hell no, we just had the same taste in clothes.

I entered her body with my crown jewels. I, Ivar the Boneless was the future king of Kattegat, but for now, I was the king of the bedroom. And my short-haired princess was my biggest wealth.


	13. Airki

[SIGURD POV]

I was on my way to the next village. I didn't know which direction I was going. The only thing that mattered was that I kept moving. Tears flowed down my cheeks. Leaving Kattegat was harder than I thought it would be. I remembered the good times with my brother Ivar when he was six years old. Floki built him a cart. Those were the days. We spent the whole summer racing on the streets. Sometimes we slammed into a market stall. Hundreds of melons were crushed to pieces. The owner didn't dare to speak up because we were the kids of the king. We could do whatever we wanted. We were extremely spoiled in a material sense.

We, the children of Ragnar Lothbrok, were completely unaware that some other children of the same age grew up in poverty. They didn't have new clothes for every occasion. Those kids did not receive a golden arm ring.

The only things I knew about the regular folks were the things that Bjorn told me. He was in love with a servant. Þórunn was beneath Bjorn’s status but she was released from servitude by Aslaug. Aslaug treated Þórunn better than me. Þórunn and I sometimes practiced sword-fighting together. I have to tell you that she was a more skilled fighter than me but I’m a better musician.

I arrived at a village. A woman fed her chickens. She came to me and started to yell at me, “Stranger what are you doing here?” I told her that I was looking for my father. When I said the name “Airki”, she told me that he was a famous farrier. “You are Airki’s son? I never knew he had any children. I thought he was single.”

“But we both know that men have an appetite for sex.” We both laughed and she gave me the right directions to Sandnes. I did not leave empty-handed. She gave me roast chicken. “Tell your dad that Mrs. Barlow could use his help next month,” I promised her that he would help her and left the village.

After walking for many hours, I reached Sandnes. There was an Inn. My dog was hungry and I needed a drink. A man with a big mustache served us. I asked him if he knew where Airki lived. “Airki lives in the cabin with the iron roof. It's only 10 minutes from here.” I thanked the man and left the Inn.

I knocked on Airki’ front door. A slender man with curly blond hair opened the door. I looked him right in the eyes and said,”Hello, my name is Sigurd and I’m your son. We have the same eyes and the same blood runs in our veins. I bet you didn't expect me to be here tonight, but I have nowhere else to go.”

He was shocked and saddened to hear that Aslaug didn't treat me right. “I’m so sorry Sigurd. You don't deserve this and you don’t deserve me. I feel so ashamed and embarrassed that I could not take care of you. Please, come inside.”

He showed me his living room and we took a seat. “I bet you're hungry.” he said, “I still have some leftovers from yesterday.”

He told me everything about his past and we got drunk. He was a big beer drinker. “You can stay here forever. I will be the dad you never had.”

I started to cry.

I woke up with a hangover from hell in an unknown room.

“Hey Sigurd, You're finally awake. It's two o'clock in the afternoon. I made you a hangover breakfast.”

This was just the beginning of my good relationship with my real father.


	14. Getting inked

[IVAR POV]

We borrowed horses and a buggy so we could visit Floki. Floki did not live in the village. He inhabited a cabin in the woods with his wife Helga. It took us three days to reach that place. When we got there, Helga was swimming in a creek. She saw us and wrapped a towel around herself. “Floki we have visitors. Put some clothes on and make some tea.”

Floki opened the door of the cabin on the other side and said, “I can’t believe it, Helga. Ivar is here with a nice young lady. Come inside guys!”.

I told Floki and Helga how I met Zala and that I planned to marry her as soon as possible. “Her father wants to meet my family, but we both know my father is incapable of taking care of himself. I don’t want him to fuck this up. But Helga and you Floki, treated me like I was your own. I am eternally grateful for that and I want to celebrate my special day with you. Floki can you come with me?

Floki said that he could leave immediately, “But next time I’m bringing Helga with me. There is one thing that I want to do before we leave. You told me that you wanted a “heritage” tattoo. You are now old enough to have one. Where do you want your rune tattoo?”

“I want it on the back of my head.”

“But then you have to partially shave your head,” said Floki.

“That does not matter to me because I'm in for something new. I gave my girlfriend a haircut and now she can give me one.”

Floki was cool with that and he gave Zala a pair of scissors and a razor. She gave me a cool undercut in the shape of a triangle. She cut the remaining hair, on the top of my head, a lot shorter and got rid of my sideburns and facial hair.

“No buns for you, Ivar. Short hair is the best for you”, said Zala. And she was right. I was no Ragnar wannabe like Ubbe. I had my own style.

Getting inked was not nearly as painful as I expected and the result was beautiful.

“Floki, I almost forgot to tell you that you have to call me “Tian” when we meet Zala’s parents. There’s no need to worry about my name change, It is a preventive measure. Her parents would never let her marry the son of a blood-thirsty king. I’m going to include my real name and yours in the wedding vows. I won’t be Ivar Ragnarsson but “Tian Ivar Flokison.

Helga started to cry. “I’m so happy for you Ivar and Zala you are going to be my daughter-in-law. You can have my wedding dress if you want it. It’s in excellent condition and I think we have the same size.”

Helga gave Zala her dress and we left the cabin.


	15. The reunion

[SIGURD POV]

My father sent me to a different village to buy some vegetables. It was half past three and most people were done shopping. Suddenly, I heard a few voices nearby. “How long have you been married Floki,” asked Zala. I didn't think that many people in this world were named Floki, so I turned my head to see who was talking. What the hell! My very own brother (or do I have to say half-brother now?) was standing behind me with Floki and a beautiful girl with short hair.

I wanted to run away. I wanted to escape this very awkward situation but it was too late. Ivar recognized my face. “Hey Sigurd, what are you doing here? Why are you so far away from home?”

Telling lies would make the situation worse so I spoke the truth. “"After what happened today, I had no other option than leaving Kattegat. Your lovely mother not only told me that I was ugly, she also confessed that I was adopted by Ragnar Lothbrok. Just because he didn’t give her permission to kill me right after giving birth. She gave my real father no permission to visit me. She would have killed me If he tried to get in touch with me.

Ivar looked at me the same. He started to tear up. “I’m so sorry that Aslaug treated you like a piece of shit. It’s been only a few days ago before I started paying attention to peoples' upbringing. This girl, say hello to Zala, is my new girlfriend and future wife” (Zala said “Hi!”.)

“Her father treats all his sons as his equals, but he treated her like a little kid. And that made me angry. Thus I did my best to ensure that she will have a better future. I agreed with her father’s decision to marry her. Oh, by the way, I really love her. I visited Floki and asked him to go with me to meet my future father-in-law. That dude wants to know more about my family before we get hitched. And that's what we're planning to do. So yeah, I also replaced my father. Floki is a much nicer person. Why don’t you come with us? You will always be my brother.”

I told her that I had to go back to my real father. “But I can go to your wedding in the near future. My real father lives in Sandnes in the cabin with the iron roof. I just met him and he asked me to stay. You can find me there. Oh and his name is Airki, he’s a farrier and a much nicer person than Aslaug. Send me a message and I will see you very soon, Ivar.”

Ivar promised me to send me a message. I went back to my father’s home.

[IVAR POV]

Floki, Zala and I hopped on our horses and buggy and traveled back to Celenje. Zala’s father stood in the doorway with his hands in his pockets like he knew that we were coming. Floki was dressed in his best clothes and he wore a very dramatic hat. This was going to be funny. Floki promised me to play along. He could have been a very successful actor.

Floki shook hands with Zala’s dad and said, “Hello, Mister Struna. I want to thank you for inviting me to talk about Tian’s future. I would like to introduce myself as Floki. I’m a boat builder and I'm like an uncle to this young lad. His real father is not a nice person. I guess you already know that. He kept his own son captive in his house and dropped him off in the forest when he wasn’t useful anymore. I’m glad that your wonderful daughter found him, otherwise, he wouldn’t be alive much longer.”

Zala’s father listened carefully and was proud of his daughter. “My daughter is a wise and caring person. And Tian is smart and speaks many languages. I think that they were made for each other. Is it alright if he marries her?

Floki winked an eye to me. I knew he was going to say yes. “He has my blessing.”

I was relieved that everything went as planned. Zala’s father and Floki picked our wedding day. Zala and I would get married in two weeks in the backyard of this house. Zala’s mother agreed that she could wear Helga’s dress to save money for more important things. Zala’s father would buy us a family home after our marriage. I could hardly wait to live under my own roof with the most beautiful girl.


	16. The wedding

[IVAR POV]

It was finally our big day. People from all over the country came to Celenje to attend our wedding. Grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins and other relatives of Zala and they all showed their interest in me. I wondered what they were thinking of me. Why is that boy sitting on a chair? Why doesn't he greet us? Aren't we important enough?

Zala shook hands with all the guests before she introduced me as “Tian, her betrothed”. 

(I told Sigurd beforehand that had to call me “Tian”.) Zala told all our guests that I could only walk with my braces on and that I had to save my energy for tonight. Her explanation was very clear and most people did understand that they could meet me later this day. Sigurd, my own brother, was of course allowed to sit next to me. He was a special guest on my wedding day.

We kept our wedding fairly simple. Floki wanted us to marry on a Friday, for the simple reason that we could honor Frigga, the Goddes of love and marriage. He was very accepting that this marriage wouldn’t be a traditional Viking wedding because he knew that was impossible to organize. We did not buy many new things. Floki and Zala’s father made sure there were enough seats in the backyard. Most chairs were borrowed from neighbors. The whole backyard was decorated with flowers. Helga was the real flower girl. She even made a floral crown for Zala to wear on our big day. Zala’s siblings did not take part in the wedding ceremony. Zan, Anze and Bojan sat front row and wore ivory suits. Sigurd was dressed in blue and sat next to Floki and Helga.

I wore a blue linen tunic that was decorated with a floral pattern and my favorite brown leather pants. Zala wore Helga’s ivory colored wedding dress. Her mom wanted her to wear a veil but she opted for a flower crown. Zala wore her grand mother’s blue earrings to make her mom happy. She topped her outfit off with her hair in mini milk braids. She looked so beautiful that I wanted to kiss her but I had to be more patient.

Zala’s father accompanied my soon to be wife to the altar while Floki and Sigurd helped me to the altar. Zala’s father handed Zala to me so that the ceremony could begin. We exchanged silver rings to symbolize our vows. The rings were not engraved because we wanted to decorate them later. We'll eventually want our real names engraved on the inside. One day I will tell Zala’s parents that I prefer to be named Ivar.

The pronouncement as husband and wife was long-winded. When the officer finally said “I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride”, I could only think of sex with my beautiful wife. Of course, I gave her a big smack on the mouth.

Sigurd picked up his guitar and started to sing a traditional song. Floki, Helga and I were the only people in the backyard who recognized the song but all the other people started to clap. He played the song a second time so everybody could sing along. 

We had dinner with all our guests after Sigurd was finished. Zala’s favorite cousin asked me if Sigurd was my only sibling. I told her that I only kept in touch with Sigurd. I am glad she didn't ask further. I told her that I wasn’t very hungry. I left the dinner table with my wife. She helped me walk to the shed.

We went into the shed and I made sure that nobody was looking. I asked her to stand with her face to the wall. I lifted the backside of her dress up with one of my hands. She wore her most delicate panties. My fingers softly ran over her panties. “These panties are too beautiful to destroy,” I said. I slipped a few fingers into her panties.

“My love, do you really think this is a good idea? The guests are waiting for us.” I told her that all those people could wait.

“I had to wait the whole day before I could touch you. We are newlyweds and you’re wet. Do you get it, babe?” I grasped her panties with my teeth and pulled them down her long legs. Her beautiful buttocks were exposed. 

I was so horny that fingering her would not be enough. I unbuttoned my pants. I pushed them down past my hips. “There is no turning back, we are both half naked.”

All her worries disappeared and her face had softened. My manhood hardened and I placed it inside of her. Up and down I went. She started to moan. This was the only wedding gift that mattered to me.

We had fun for a while until somebody opened the door. Sigurd stood behind us. “It wasn't my intention to ruin your private party,” he said.

We turned our bodies around to face Sigurd. “Congratulations, you saw our private parts. I would almost ask you to join us, but we need to celebrate our marriage.”

Zala and I got dressed again and left the shed. Sigurd left us alone for the rest of the evening. He didn't dare to face us.


	17. Become a man in 16 steps

[SIGURD POV]

I felt horrible about what happened. Why was a so dumb to enter that building? I should have known better but I didn’t. I did not have any experience with women and neither did I know how it feels to get married. I wanted to leave immediately after the incident but Zala’s Father insisted me to stay.

“Sigurd, why are you walking to the stables? It’s too late to leave. We’ve rented two houses that can accommodate up to twenty guests. You’re my special guest and you don’t have to share a room with somebody else.”

I still wanted to leave Celenje. What if I made the same mistake twice? Would Ivar still accept me as a brother?

Zala’s father looked worried. “I know how you feel, Sigurd. I was the last son in my family who tied the knot.”

Why do other people always try to read my face? I’m not an open book like Ivar. I don’t even know If I want to get married.

“There’s something else I’m thinking of Mister Struna but it's not something that we can discuss here. Can I speak with you in private?”

“Dear Sigurd, I have a few minutes to spare. Follow me to the library.”

When I entered the library, I did not know where to look. There were books everywhere, even on the ground.

“I need to clean up this space, but organizing a wedding took more of my time than I expected. Take a seat and tell me what bothers you,” said Zala’s father.

“The last few weeks have been a roller coaster for Ivar and Me. We did not have a great relationship growing up. Our mother treated me differently. Ivar meant everything to her, but she despised me for no good reason. And two weeks ago I finally discovered why: Ivar and I don’t share the same father. I’m a bastard son. My mother had me out of wedlock.”

Zala’s father looked even more serious now. Why am I telling him this?

“Why did she keep that secret if she treated you worse than you siblings?”

That was a very good question. “Damage control,” I said.

Zala’s father nodded his head and said that he had to go outside for a few minutes to say goodbye to a few guests. He promised me to come back in ten minutes.

A dark green book with golden letters caught my eye. Most of the books in this library had a brown or red hardcover. I grabbed the book off the shelf and read the title. “How to become a man in 16 steps”. “Hmmm”, I said. What a coincidence. This book spoke to me like no other.

Zala’s father came back with two Rakia. “Where were we?”

I told him how Ivar and I parted ways but were accidentally reunited when we both visited a small village and that meeting influenced our relationship. “That meeting was the first time ever that Ivar listened to what I had to say and he was genuinely concerned with my well-being.“ 

Zala’s Father was glad to hear that the relation between Ivar and I was better than it had ever been. He also told me that I could have “How to become a man in 16 steps”. “It’s the perfect read for a man like you.”

I thanked him, “Thank you mister Struna.” 

“Please call me Andrej. We’re family.”


	18. Undress and impress

IVAR POV]

Zala and I were lying in bed discussing what happened in the shed today. Zala was concerned of Sigurd’s feeling.  
“I'm worried about your brother and not because he knows how I look without my clothes on. I guess he thinks that we are angry at him and that we don’t want to see him anymore. But that is not true. Maybe we need to pay him a visit while he’s still here.”  
Her intention was good, but I preferred to stay in our room, “What about our wedding night? Don’t you want to celebrate it here with me?”  
Zala was clearly not amused. “We can celebrate it later today. The night is long and full of love-making.” We both laughed.  
But I didn’t know where Sigurd stayed in Celenje. According to Zala, Sigurd slept in one of the rooms of rented accommodation. There were only two single bedrooms available.  
“Let me first go to the rooms to make sure that we don’t enter the wrong room. I will come back to get you.”

Zala sneaked out of the house and I stayed in our bed. She was back in ten minutes. 

“I know where he stays. Follow me”, she said.  
Zala knew this village better than I did and I had to use my walker, so she helped me leaving the house. The big yellow house on the other side of the road was one of the two houses rented by Zala’s father. Ivar slept on the first floor.  
I crawled upstairs tot he room. I’ve seen worse staircases. Zala waited for me until I was upstairs. We knocked on the bright red door. Sigurd did not open the door, we had to do it ourselves.  
My brother was asleep and most of his clothes lay on the hardwood floors. “Maybe it’s better for us to leave?” I said. Zala disagreed with me. She said Sigurd’s name out loud and he woke up.  
“Who are you and what do you want from me?” murmured Sigurd.

[SIGURD POV]

Why was my brother with his wife standing in my bedroom? It was after midnight and I was tired.  
I wanted to send them away but Zala started to speak. “Sigurd, we are not angry that you saw us making out. You can be angry at us for waking you up. We just wanted to let you know that we love you and we wondered why you were looking for us.  
It was good to hear that they didn’t mind it at all. “To answer your question, I was looking for both of you, because I had a present for you. I still have it, wait a sec.”  
“I bought some jewelry as wedding gift for you guys. I hope you like it. A true Viking ring for Ivar and a rune pendant for you, my sister-in-law”.  
They were both happy with my gifts. 

“But we have a surprise for you too If you’re in for it,“ said Ivar.  
“What do you mean brother?”  
Zala opened her beautiful dressing gown and threw it on the ground.

“Ah”, I said. “You guys are going to show me how to love?”  
Ivar climbed on my bed and started to undo his braces. “One day, you will have a girlfriend and then it’s nice if you feel more confident around women. If you know how to pleasure a girl, then she will pay you back or ask for more.”  
That sounded nice but It still felt awkward sharing a room with my brother and his wife who were just married and wore both sleepwear. I only wore my boxers and baggy linen pants.  
Zala stepped forward and asked me If she could sit on my lap. Within no time, she sat on my lap. Zala started to kiss me on my mouth and placed my left hand on her nightgown. I inserted my hand between her boobs and she gave no damn.

“How does that Feel Sigurd?” she said. It felt very nice to touch her.

Zala started to play with the straps of her gown. What does she want me to do? Ivar pointed to the zipper of the nightgown. I unzipped the dress for a bit and I could see Zala’s breasts peeking out of the dress. Ivar freed one of her breasts and I did the other one. We both started to play with these knockers. Ivar licked her left nipple while I touched the other carefully. 

We, brothers from another father, were very different. Ivar was a wild beast while I was a gentleman. I pulled Zala’s dress up. She wore lace panties. Ivar tore them down with his teeth. What the fuck happened here?

Zala looked very confident and opened her legs. Ivar crawled towards her and started to eat her out. “This is the reason why I wasn’t hungry today, brother. You need to try this someday. ” I didn’t know what to do but I hated being a voyeur. I added two of my fingers inside of Zala for a sec. She started to moan. I decided to take my fingers out of her body. This was not what I expected. I had enough of it but Ivar went further down on his wife.

I sat on the edge of my bed and waited. Zala pulled both of my pants down after Ivar finished her. “Let’s share a bed for a night. But we should sleep like true Vikings.”

Zala undressed her husband and we stepped into my bed. There was just enough space for us three. Zala laid between us. My head rested on her breast.  
I could get used to this. A woman’s body makes the best pillow.


	19. Freedom

[SIGURD POV]

The next day I woke up next to Zala who was already awake. She laid her hands on my bare chest while my brother Ivar was still asleep. “Ivar likes to sleep late, so we will have some time for ourselves. We can enjoy each other’s company.”

I didn’t know what she meant. Was this an invitation to go down on her? “I don’t think that this is the right moment for this,” was what I said.

“Why? Because your brother is still asleep? I don’t need his permission or supervision. I’m a free woman now, freed from old traditions. Ivar and I came to an agreement yesterday that we can have sex with other people as long as we both like that person. By the way, people from the North are known for having open relationships.”

I told her that she was not completely right about this. “Please don’t think that every person in Kattegat cheats. My parents were an awful exception.”

“That’s not true,” said Ivar.” He was awake.

“I’m sorry. Did I wake you up? I should have been quieter.”

“Sigurd, you really need to stop saying sorry. Don’t act like you make THAT many mistakes because you don’t. But you were wrong about the cheating. You don't call it cheating when you give your partner permission. People from our culture are more outgoing. Ragnar, Aslaug, and even Lagertha had sex outside their marriage. Ragnar saw with his own eyes how his lawful wife made King Ecbert a very happy man and he didn’t give a damn about it. He knew that it would benefit his relationship with Lagertha. I know this because he told me everything.”

So it was quite normal to have sex outside wedlock. Your partner had to agree with it and most spouses did because it would make their own sex life better. This information came in handy since we were all awake.

[IVAR POV]

I told Sigurd that we had to wait. “Most people are now waking up in this village. If Zala's dad opens this door, then we’re fucked. What are we going to tell him then? That it was so cold that we decided to keep each other company? We can’t be seen together here."

I forgot that we were staying in Celenje and not in a Viking town.

Zala and I came up with an idea: “We dress up and leave you here behind. You tell Floki and Helga that you are planning to go swimming with us in the nearest lake. Zala tells her parents that we’re going to make a short hunting trip. We can’t tell them ‘the truth’ because they would be worried about me. They don’t know that I can swim. Zala and I take one of the horses with us but you can use Zala’s horse. He knows the way. We will see you in an hour, brother.”

“But I don’t want to swim!” said Sigurd.

“You know what we mean, Sigurd.” He winked and we left his room.

[SIGURD POV]

Ivar closed the door and I was alone again. I was jealous of Ivar’s tattoo. He was always the coolest brother after Bjorn. Ivar was the most good-looking, but Bjorn was the most confident son or Ragnar. He could handle weapons like swords and axes like a champ and knew how to pleasure a woman without much effort. He treated them like Greek goddesses. I wished that he learned me all of his tricks, but he was always too busy. He made most trade deals since Ragnar’s drug addiction.

Ivar and Zala had instructed me to inform Floki and Helga that the three of us would spend the day by the lake. They didn’t tell me if it was okay if I invited them to join us. The more, the merrier was what I thought, so I decided that they could come too.

But first I needed to find them. They could be anywhere. I was lucky, the boatbuilder and his wife sat on a trunk in the garden of Zala’s parents. “What happened to you Sigurd? You are glowing,” said Helga.

Could she really read my face? Did I look more relaxed than ever?

“Helga, I just had breakfast with the newlyweds. I guess I’m looking so happy because they were extremely happy with the gifts that I had bought for them. I was afraid that they wouldn’t like my gifts.”  
Helga looked amused and said, “Dear Sigurd, you always come up with the best gifts and I think that Floki has a gift for you.”

“Sigurd, you showed me yesterday that you've all grown up now. You’re no longer a child with average music abilities. You’re a great songwriter but you really need to feel more comfortable in your own skin. I can help you with that.”

I wondered how.

“I know by the way you looked at Ivar that you were jealous of his head tattoo. I can give you one now, but you have to tell me what you want. I brought my equipment with me.”

I told him that I wanted knotwork around the back of my neck in A V-shape. Floki said that he would be able to fix this in 2 hours. Zala and Ivar could wait.

Helga helped Floki to prepare his tools. Floki asked me to sit down on the trunk. Helga did my hair in a messy bun.

“Sigurd, this is going to be painful but keep in mind that I will be done in a few hours.”

It was hard sitting still for 2 hours. Helga made sure that I ate enough while Floki worked on my tattoo.

Floki was finished after two hours and he borrowed a mirror from Zala’s mother so I could see the result. I really loved it and I let my hair down again.

Helga was bewildered. “Nobody can see your tattoo if you wear your hair like this Sigurd.”

She was right about that.

Zala’s mother stepped out the house. She wanted to know why Floki needed to borrow a mirror. “What is this all about?”

I showed her the back of my neck and I did not know if she liked it or not. But she responded in a very positive way: “Woah, that is very pretty. Why are you hiding it?”

That was a good question and I did not expect her to be positive about body modifications.

“I think because I’m used to wearing my hair up in a bun,” was what I said to her.

“Can I cut your hair?” she asked me. “I always cut the hair of my three sons.”

I did not like the outfits that Celenian people wore, but their hairstyles were on point.

“Alright, I said. “You may do as you please, but please don’t make me look younger than I’m really am.”  
Zala’s mother grabbed a chair. “Take this seat Sigurd. I’ll make you look more beautiful.”  
She brushed my hair first. “Why is your hair so uneven. Did you cut it yourself?”

I told her that she had to blame Hvitserk's drunken ass for this hairy mess.

A few minutes later I heard the scissors “snip, snip” and prepared for the worst.

“Sigurd I’m done,” said Zala’s mother. That was quick. I took a look in the mirror and my hair was still long but it looked healthy.

“You have the voice and the hair of an angel. I did not want to change that.”

I thanked Zala’s mother and she told me to call her “Marija”.

Helga braided my hair in two french braids.

I almost said farewell to Floki and Helga without telling them that they could join Ivar, Zala and me by the lake.

“Sigurd, Floki and I are planning to leave Celenje today. We sadly don’t have time to take a swim. I hope to see you very soon. You are always welcome in our home. ”

In the search for Zala’s horse, I went to the stables. A white mare with the name “Asha” welcomed me like she knew that I would come for her. Celenje was really the village of interesting experiences


	20. Heroism

[IVAR POV]

Zala and I waited and waited. Was Sigurd lost? No, that was impossible. He rode Zala’s horse and this lake is not so far from Zala’s home. I was worried but Zala told me to relax. “Ivar tell me what could happen to your brother?”

“He could be found by a beautiful girl with a name starting with a Z.” We both laughed.

We spent two hours lying in the grass. Zala’s head rested on my body. She smelled like lavender.

I heard the hoofs of a Zala’s mare galloping. Sigurd was finally here but he did not bring a lady with him. (If you don’t count Aysha, Zala’s horse.)

Sigurd helped me up. “Brother, you can always sleep when you’re old. Let’s make this day one you will never forget.”

“Uhmmm, Sigurd. Yesterday was the most important day in my life, my wedding day. Today is not important.”

“You’re joking, right Ivar? Does my presence means nothing to you?”

An awkward silence hung between us for a few seconds until Zala started to laugh.

“Ivar, don’t be a meanie or I’m going to ignore you.”

I hated that she was siding with my brother so I decided not to go swimming.

I crawled to the lake, removed the lower part of my braces and sat up straight at the edge of the lake with both my feet in the water. I loved listening to the sound of water. It was very calming and peaceful. My anger vanished and for a moment everything in my life stood still.

I heard a big splash but Zala was nowhere to be seen and Sigurd was playing with a few small rocks.

Suddenly, there was a hand above the water. The mysterious hand tried to unbutton my pants. What the fuck was going on? I couldn’t get up with my remaining braces. Another hand rose from the water and was able to open my pants. This had to be Zala’s work. She had fine hands and my cock hardened. I quickly lowered my boxers.

My beast was unleashed and the beauty rose from the water. My favorite siren grabbed my manhood and put it into her mouth. This was good. She swallowed my cum like the sea takes back its shoreline. Maybe Sigurd was right after all. I never received a BJ that was so satisfying to get.

Zala started to breathe harder than normal. Too much water had entered her body.

She needed more air. Sigurd picked her up and laid her on the grass. Zala breathing was still very fast and irregular. Sigurd helped her the best way he could. He knew how to provide first aid and all that I could do was watching him saving my wife.

Damnit! Why was I so mean to my brother? This was my last time to change my behavior. If she would die suddenly as a result of my childish behavior, then I would drown myself in sorrow.

After ten minutes, she started to breathe normally again.

I wanted to speak with Sigurd. Telling him how sorry I was for treating him like a child but I had to wait.

Zala still wore most of her clothes. It was better to dry her clothes in the sun so Sigurd started to undress her layer by layer until Zala started to speak. “Wait, Sigurd!”

She gave him a kiss on the lips and started to untie her bikini top. “You’ve done already so much for me. I…” I interrupted Zala “We can't thank you enough.”

I crawled to my wife and my brother who saved her life. I told Sigurd to climb on her and lay on top. His hands started to shake so I helped him to calm down. “Dear brother, take a deep breath.” We all started to laugh.

I took Zala’s bikini off. Her vagina was peach-fuzzed. I couldn’t remember the last time when she trimmed her body hair. She opened her legs and started to rub her clit with her fingers and moaned in pleasure. Sigurd wanted to turn away. “Does this turn you off, brother?”

“No”, whispered Sigurd while he unbuckled his belt and removed his pants. Zala and I both traced the outline of his cock with our fingers. Sigurd undid his boxers leaving nothing to hide his erection. He put his penis inside of Zala and started to go harder and harder. I looked and his cock went in and out. I was jealous. “And now it's my turn!,” I growled.

Sigurd stepped away from Zala who still had her legs wide open. I threw my pants on the floor and crawled. It was my time. I ate her pussy and asshole and made her come many times. Sigurd kept watching and I took pride in his growing interest in sexual activities with women.

I thought that this was going to be the end but Sigurd started to spank Zala’s butt out of nowhere. She squealed with delight when he asked her to bend over so he could do doggy style with her. I wanted to take part in this so I decided to move next to Zala. I slid two of my fingers up and down her labia. The noise that she made was like Sigurd's music to my ears. I couldn’t get enough of it. I heard footsteps and told the others to stop. Sigurd and Zala helped me to get into the lake. It turned out to be a false alarm.

This was actually the first time that I saw Sigurd’s tattoo. “Since when do you have a tattoo on the back of your neck, Sigurd?” I said. “Since today. Floki had his equipment with him. He told me today that I could get my first tattoo. This was actually the reason why you guys had to wait. I’m sorry.“

“Sigurd, what did I told you earlier today?” – “That I need to stop apologizing for every little thing.”

“Exactly.”

“And you brother, need to stop telling me how I need to live my life.”

“Exactly.”

The three of us hugged each other, got dressed and left together.


	21. Sigurd's small note

[BJORN POV]

I found a short note in a pair of Ragnar’s shoes. My father was still asleep after our successful raid. Thus, I could read the note that was addressed to Ragnar unnoticed. The childish handwriting was unmistakably of Sigurd. I was right about this because he signed the note with his first name. It took me a few minutes to decipher the complete handwriting. Sigurd mentioned in his note that he discovered that Ragnar was not his real father. I was shocked to read this in a letter that was not addressed to me. I shouldn’t have read this. I'm too curious by nature.

Sigurd wrote further that he was glad that Ragnar saved his life. What did he mean by saying this? Did Ragnar save him in battle or when he was still a baby? So many questions started to formulate in my mind. I wanted to know more about this but the small note did not answer all my questions. I fact, even more unanswered questions popped up. Why didn’t Ragnar bother to tell Sigurd that he was not his biological father? And who was Sigurd’s real father? Was Sigurd even the real name of my former half-brother? Was Sigurd not secretly an elf with light blonde hair, his slightly V-shaped ears, and angelic voice. Everything could be possible. Never in my whole life, I would've thought that Sigurd had a different father. To me, he will always be a Ragnarsson.

In the fourth sentence, Sigurd mentioned that he hated seeing Ragnar in his current state. He described perfectly how it feels to see your own father turning into a junkie. His handwriting tells you otherwise, but Sigurd is an excellent writer. I needed to tell him that next time when I saw him. But where was Sigurd? Sigurd had written in the last sentence of his note that he left Kattegat for good. Why? Was he angry at Ragnar and Aslaug. And what about Aslaug? I needed to find the answers to all these questions. I put the note back in Ragnar’s shoes and left my father’s bedroom.

Aslaug was sitting at the dinner table and suddenly wanted to leave the room. She started to run away but I was able to track her down. I had the body of an athlete and the endurance of a rower. Aslaug did not have that much power. She could only see the foreseen future but she didn’t use her gift anymore. My step-mother wasn’t mentally stable after giving birth to Ivar. I couldn’t blame her for that. It’s hard to be the parent of a child with a disability. Being unable to walk makes it almost impossible to go on a raid with your family. Floki, the former best friend of my father, made a cart for Ivar so he could move around like his siblings. I still hated it that my father denounced his friendship with his boatbuilder friend.

Aslaug hid in one of the trees next to our house. How was she able to climb in an oak dressed in a gown? I wanted to pull her down but she held herself tight and started to talk with her eyes closed: “Bjorn, you might wonder why I ended up here but I guess you already know why. I was afraid that you would hurt me for what I did to all of you. Sigurd is not your half-brother. He is not even a member of your family. Be happy about that, because he is completely useless. His real father is a friend of Torstein. I made out with another man when your father was on a pillaging mission. I was so lonely and my sex life with Ragnar was very bad. Ragnar was already smoking blunts.”

I was furious because this was not true. “Ragnar became addicted to marijuana after our mission to an Asian country. That is only 3 years ago. You know that, stop lying to everybody. I don’t mind it that you had sex with another man, but don’t lie about it. Sigurd deserved to know the truth.”

Aslaug opened her eyes but she didn’t want to look me in the eyes. “I did not want to hurt him, so I kept it secret. I tried to contact his real father Airki to come up with a solution but he totally ignored me.”

“I don’t believe you Aslaug,” was what I said. “I think that I know the real reason why you kept it secret. You wanted to secure your position as the wife of Ragnar. The funny thing is, that my mother, Lagertha, is still the most powerful woman of Kattegat. I'm some way, you’re just a trophy wife or a fucking pig. You gave Ragnar more sons, but you will never be like my mother.”

Aslaug wanted to jump off the tree. “Don’t do that Aslaug! It would only cause more problems.”

“Don’t tell me what to do, boy!” was what she screamed.

“Your children need you. Ragnar needs you. My dad would not be able to deal with another loss in the family. Losing Gyda and Athelstan was already bad enough.”

“You really don’t get it, don’t you? I don’t give a fuck about your father. He is a drug user and an abuser. And Ubbe and Hvitserk they can fuck off too. They are clones of their father. I only care deeply about Ivar and I miss him. ”

Aslaug was a fucking hypocrite but I didn’t want her to go crazy. “Let me help you to get out of this tree. I won’t tell your other kids that Sigurd is not really their brother. I will keep my mouth shut that I found a note in Ragnar’s shoes. Sigurd left that note and that’s how I discovered that he is not Ragnar’s real son. I’m going to tear that letter down. This conversation never took place.”

Aslaug accepted my help. We had a deal. I would never talk to anyone about this conversation and the letter.

But to tell you the truth, I lied to Aslaug. I planned to inform my half-brothers very soon. And what about the note? I didn’t tear it down. I kept the note hidden in my boots.


	22. A true artist

[ZALA POV]

Ivar was gone for the day with my father. They were house hunting in Celenje. I was on my own, but I didn't feel like it. I felt something burning inside of me. A desire that needed to be fulfilled immediately. I went to Sigurd’s room because I knew he was also alone. Sigurd was sitting on a chair with a knife in his hands. He carved a little wooden flute with runes. “I didn’t know that you made your own instruments.”

“This is my first try actually,” said Sigurd. “Can you help me?”

“Yes, I will help you.” I knew what he wanted of me. He could hardly see what he was doing. “Can you braid my hair the way Helga braid it?” he asked. “Sure, Sigurd,” I said.

I parted his hair in the middle and started with one french braid. I used the hair tie that I wore around my wrist, but I needed another one for the second braid. I went to my own room in another building to get some supplies. When I came back to Sigurd’s room, I saw him sitting on the chair with his hands in his pants. He was so busy jerking himself off that he didn’t see me entering his room. It seemed that we shared an interest: pleasuring ourselves. “Gotcha!” Sigurd looked ashamed.

“You caught me masturbating,” I told him that it was perfectly normal to do that. “I do it all the time even when I share the bed with Ivar. I let him look, but he can’t touch and that makes him very upset sometimes. And before my relationship with Ivar, I used some toys to pleasure myself. I thought that it wasn’t a normal thing to do but Ivar told me otherwise. Are you on board for some experimental practices? He nodded yes. But before we could start, I had to braid the other part of his hair first.

I told him that if he took off all his clothes, he could undress me. He removed my top and pants but didn’t know how to open a bra. “Use both your hands,” I said. He started at the top when his hands started to shake. I whispered in his ears that he could do it. It took him a few minutes to undo the hooks and soon my breasts were freed from my bra. “Now untie the sides of my panties. I know how you can become more relaxed. Imagine that you’re opening a gift.” It worked, his hands stopped shaking.

Sigurd looked at my naked body from every angle. He studied my tights and asked me to turn around. He put his hands on my hips while I gently tickled and fondled his balls. “Could you do me a favor and paint some runes on my body? I have body paint.”

“Sure,” he said. “If we do it my way”. I handled him tubes with paint and two brushes. “I want you to sit on the ground with your legs wide open with your hands touching your nipples.” I didn’t know why he wanted me to sit like that, but I did what I was told. I sat in the right position and Sigurd wrapped his legs and arms around me. He had a brush and a tube of paint in his hands and he put both objects down on the ground. “Before I start…” He placed two fingers inside of me and made circular movements with his index finger. His movements made me moan. He stopped after a few minutes and grabbed the art supplies. “I’m going to try to paint a few runes between your breasts and above your pubic area while you sit in this position.” Sigurd showed much confidence and had a very steady hand.

The body art looked like tattoos.“Thank you Sigurd, it looks amazing. Maybe one day I can get a tattoo of one of your designs.” I got up and gave him a big hug. I heard a sound coming from the hallway. Somebody opened the door and I ran to Sigurd’s bed and hid under the sheets. Sigurd threw a tunic over his naked body. Sigurd stood by the doorway. “Is Zala here, Sigurd?”

I threw the sheets off. Ivar looked at my naked body. “Hmmm, the next time when we visit Floki, you should ask him if he can tattoo one of Sigurd’s drawings on your skin. You look very hot, but is it okay if I rub the paint off your body? I want to feel your skin wih both my hands.” Sigurd gave Ivar a towel so he could do what he wanted.


	23. Behind bars

[SIGURD POV]

Today I had to say goodbye to Ivar, Zala and her family who treated me well. For the first time in my life, I had the feeling that I belonged somewhere. That some people truly cared about me. I made a lot of new friends and met my real father Airki. But the best that happened to me, was becoming a lot closer with my brother Ivar. He understood my pain and said that he wished that we could do our childhood over. I also felt sorry for Ivar. I always thought that he was very confident but he wore a mask and never showed what was really going through his head. He never saw himself as a human being. I’m glad that he met Zala. She made him a better person and made him feel loved. 

Zala picked the horse from the stables and helped me pack my bags. The whole Struna-Flokison family stood in front of the house to say me goodbye. Bojan, Zala’s youngest brother gave me a kiss on my cheek. Zan and Anze, her older siblings had a present for me. A pocket knife with my complete name “Sigurd Snake on the Eye” engraved on it. “Thank you, both for this well-made knife. I can use it on my journey home.” Zala’s mother Marija baked a cake for me and her husband Andrej patted my shoulder and said: “I have now two more sons and I owe it all to my daughter. Tian, be careful on your trip to Sandnes. Your father and you are always welcome here.” I thanked them all for their nice words and gifts. Ivar started to cry. I gave him a big hug and said: “Ivar, my brother from a different father and mother, I’m going to miss you, but I promise you that I will come back soon. Celenje stole my heart, however, I first want to know my father a little better before I return to you and Zala. You’ll understand that.” Ivar nodded. “Goodbye Sigurd, my little snake brother.” I embraced Ivar again and left.

[BJORN POV]

I confronted my father again. This time it wasn’t because of his problem with drugs. “Ragnar, can I speak to you in private? There’s something that I need you to ask.”A very tired Ragnar asked a slave girl to leave.

“What’s the matter, son? I want to go to bed.” 

“It struck me that Aslaug seemed to treat Sigurd different than her other children and I can't put my finger on it why.”

“And you want to know why my son? It’s because he is different.”

I wanted what my father meant with the word “different” so I asked him another question: “In which way is he different? Personally, I always thought that Ivar was always the one who was really different.”

“Can you keep a secret?” he said. I promised to keep this between the two of us. “Sigurd has a different father and for that reason Aslaug wanted to kill him but I saved him. I accepted him as my own kin, but she never really did.”

“She didn’t even try.” Ragnar agreed. He had always been an honorable man and a great father to me, but Aslaug always acted like I didn’t exist. And I knew that I couldn't compare my situation with Sigurds upbringing, but still, it’s unbelievable to me that she only truly cared about Ivar. Hvitserk and Ubbe were lucky that my mother was far more accepting. She even took them raiding across the ocean.

“The real reason why I started this conversation is that I found a note from Sigurd addressed to you in your shoes. I lied to you dad, and I read that short, personal letter without your permission. I shouldn’t have done this and I know that, but I’m worried about Sigurd. He wrote in that letter that he left Kattegat for good. What If he killed himself? I want him to come back.

“That yellow shit rat won’t come back and you also lied to me, Bjorn. I should never have trusted you Bjorn in the first place. You are the son of a blonde spoiled brat. ”

“Don’t talk about my ex-wife like that Aslaug,” said Ragnar. 

Ragnar screamed the names of his two other sons, Ubbe and Hvitserk. “Ubbe and Hvitserk, come and put your mom behind bars. I will deal with her later.” Aslaug wanted to run away but her own sons were fast enough to catch her. They locked her up.


	24. The Inn on the Hill

[BJORN POV]

Ubbe came back and told me that Airki lived in Sandnes. I discussed with Ragnar what needed to be done after Aslaug’s imprisonment. He suggested me to go to Sandnes. It was the most logical place to start searching. I could imagine that Sigurd wanted to visit his biological father immediately after the revelation. I grabbed my bag and Ragnar said that I could borrow his fastest horse. We had no time to lose. 

I rode Ragnar's horse for many hours until I arrived at “The Inn on the Hill”. I was tired and very hungry because I forgot to pack food. I walked towards the counter and got myself two pints of beer and a meat pie. One of the barmaids asked my name. I told her that I was Bjorn Ironside, son of Ragnar Lothbrok. She started panicking. Maybe she was afraid that I would kill her? “Relax, I’m not here to shed blood of innocent people. I’m on a special mission to help a young man to find his real father.”

It was very quiet in the inn and the raven-haired barmaid told me that I could have a room for free if I promised her not to tell anybody else who I really was. She feared that it would harm the business. I agreed with her and she led me to the room. I couldn’t keep my eyes of her glorious rack. The last room on the second floor was mine for the time being. The maid and I entered the room. She closed the door and started to undress. I helped her to take off her apron. “I always wanted to share a bed with one of Ragnar’s son. I have heard many stories about your kind of people in this Inn. That you and your brothers are beasts in bed.” I told her it was true.

“Sorry I have to go to the toilet.” She told me half undressed that the nearest toilet was on this floor. This was not how I expected to spend my night. What would Torvi, my wife, think of this? Would she make use of her name if she were a famous shield-maiden like Lagertha? Lagertha did whatever she wanted.

I entered the room again and in front of me stood the maid wearing only her underwear. I ripped her panties off with a single movement and buried my head between her two breasts. She had bigger tits than Torvi. I started to lick her breasts tracing circles around her areola with my tongue. I still had my hands free and put two fingers inside of her pussy. I tasted her juice and praised her for the wonderful salty taste. “You taste so much better than what you offered me downstairs.” 

“I know that sweety, even royals want a part of me. Let’s move on to the main course.” I removed my remaining clothes and asked her to stand on both feet. “I’m going to lift you up and you have to wrap your legs around my tights. I will hold you by your butt.” I lifted her up and shove myself inside of her. This position took a lot of strength but I was able to hold her. My athletic body was also very useful in a bedroom setting and girls loved my sixpack.

I told the maid to come down. I was too tired to do more fun stuff. She retrieved all her clothes off the ground and put her clothes back on. “Why are you leaving?”

“My work break is over. I have to leave but what you said about the ragnarssons being beasts is true.” She left me a short note and closed the door behind her. I was alone again. I wondered if this place was really an inn. Maybe this was just another one of Jack Rackham's brothels disguised as an Inn. I never met that guy in person but Ragnar told me once that he visited one of his whorehouses and in that setting, he had an interesting conversation with him about entrepreneurship and threesomes.


	25. Two brothers

[BJORN POV]

I woke up the next morning and remembered the barmaid's note. “Tell Mrs. Mapleton that Idelle gave you this room” was written on a small piece of paper. I got dressed, grabbed all my stuff and went downstairs. “I’m looking for Mrs. Mapleton.” Most women from Nassau that I had met on my overseas trips were exceptionally beautiful but this lady looked like an evil witch.

Mrs. Mapleton was a very unfortunate looking woman. I did not know if she was in her forties or fifties. She had yellow teeth and saggy tits and unkempt hair. I would never go down on a woman like Mrs. Mapleton.

“How was your stay, mister?” she said. “It was perfect, but I have to go now.” She gave me a small package with food. I mumbled, “Let’s hope that her cooking skills are better than her looks” and left.

I arrived in the early evening in Sandnes. Nobody was on the streets but I heard a dog barking. I walked to a small church when a dog ran to me and started licking the palm of my left hand. The dog looked a lot like Sigurd’s dog Marble. This could not be a coincidence. “Marble, where is Sigurd?” The dog wanted me to come with him. And I was right. This dog was Marble because Sigurd stood next to him. “Hey brother,” he said. “I guess you are here for me. I bet you’re hungry, come on in.”

I entered the house with the iron roof. Sigurd and I plopped down on an old couch. An unknown person with the same curly blonde hair as Sigurd showed up in the living room. “You must be Airki. I’m Bjorn Ironside, Son of Ragnar Lothbrok and Lagertha. Nice to meet you!” Airki and I shook hands.

“Sigurd, I’m so sorry that Aslaug and Ragnar lied to you. If I had discovered it sooner and knew where you were, then I would have told you it immediately. But I’m glad to find you here with your biological father. I can understand it came as a shock to you. I confronted Aslaug and Ragnar and only Ragnar cared about this matter. Aslaug is now behind bars waiting for a trial. It's up to you if you want to take part in her trial and you’re also free to choose if you want to stay here or come back to Kattegat. Ragnar said that you’re always welcome. We can’t turn back the time but we can start over.”

Tear’s ran down Sigurd’s face. He told me that Ivar told him the same, that he could start over. 

“So you’ve seen Ivar?” I said.

“Yeah, I visited him a few days ago in Celenje. I went to his wedding and Floki and Helga were there too. His girlfriend – now wife- is very hot. ”

I was flabbergasted. “And Ivar did not tell the rest of his family that he planned to tie the knot? Why did he invite you? I thought that you weren’t best friends with Ivar.”

“Times have changed, Bjorn” said Sigurd. "We both had to grow up in a very short time."

I told Sigurd that I did not know that it was Ragnar who left Ivar behind. “Ragnar said that Ivar decided to stay in the forest and that Floki would pick him up later.”

“But we both know, Bjorn, that Floki and Ragnar aren’t friends anymore. Ragnar would never leave his son behind with his enemy. ”

He was right about that. “You’re right. I’ve been stupid too, to believe everything that Ragnar said.”

We came to the conclusion that every parent lies to his children and I gave Sigurd a big hug.

Airki served us fresh tomato soup and told us that he had to lie to everybody to keep Sigurd safe in Kattegat. “I hope that Ragnar throws Aslaug in the snake pit” Airki and Sigurd agreed with me. Aslaug deserved a very painful and slow death.

I thanked Airki for his hospitality and wanted to leave. “Bjorn, you can stay here for the night,” said Airki. Sigurd’s real father was a great host.


	26. Sigurd & Riita

[IVAR POV]

It was three weeks after Sigurd’s last visit. Many things had changed. My mother was no more. Aslaug lost her trial and died in the snake pit. At least my father was still alive. Ragnar and Lagertha were together again and Sigurd had a girlfriend. But the best news was Helga’s pregnancy announcement. She and Floki will have a baby. Zala and her mother already started a knitting project for the unborn child. Zala thinks that Helga will have a daughter. I hope that she’s right because we need more fierce shield-maiden in this family.

The bell rings and Zala opens the door. Bjorn, Airki, Sigurd and his girlfriend Riita are standing in our doorway. I’m still sitting on one of our sofas. I’m too lazy to get up. I catch a glimpse of Riita. She has blonde ankle-length hair and wears a flower crown. Sigurd has a good taste in women. 

Bjorn gives me a hug and sits down next to me. Airki chooses to sit on the other side of me. Sigurd and Riita share a loveseat together. Zala places a chair in the middle of our living room. We are very happy with the house that Andrej Struna, Zala’s father, bought for us. We have three bedrooms and a small swimming pool in the back of our garden. That must sound very luxurious, but it is necessary for my health. I need to swim every day to keep my body in the best state possible. I will never be able to walk like a normal human, but with this adjustment, I’m able to make longer walks with my braces on. 

Airki baked a pie and serves everyone a piece. It smells delicious. “Dear friends and family, welcome in our new house. I still want to thank you all for the condolences. It was hard to deal with the loss of my mother. She was an evil person to almost everybody but loved me dearly. I had a nice childhood and I will always cherish the beautiful moments I had with her. Enough about her. Sigurd, I see that you took Riita with you. It does me good to see you so happy. And Airki, your pies are always so delicious. We humans don’t deserve your baked goods.”

Airki says that he is happy to hear that we like his pies so much. He promises me to bake another pie when Zala and I celebrate our first year of marriage.

“Bjorn, I plan to visit Kattegat with Zala very soon. Is it alright if we take Bojan, Zala’s youngest brother with us? Her parents want to go on holiday with her older siblings and Bojan is still not old enough to climb mountains.”

“That’s a good idea. Lagertha would love to babysit a little nugget. She asks me almost every day how many children I plan to have with Torvi.” Everbody starts to laugh.

We split up after dinner. Bjorn and Airki are going to Zala’s parents while Sigurd, Riita, Zala and I decide to go to our private swimming pool. Riita and Sigurd undress and wear matching swimming clothes: a green bikini and green swim trunks. Zala wears a simple black one piece. I take off my shirt and decide to take a dive with my normal clothes on minus my braces. ( With “dive: I mean that I crawl to the edge of the swimming pool to take a splash in the water.) I’m so lazy today.

I swim back to the edge of my pool. Zala helps me so I can sit straight and starts to kiss me. I love her so much. My hands go automatically to the straps of her swimming suit. She whispers in my ear that this is not the right moment for this. Please let me do this in our garden. She stops me for a minute before she starts to touch my erection through the fabric of my pants. Crazy woman. I undo her straps and the top of her swimsuit falls loose. I remove her swimsuit and suggest her that she sits on my face. This position is so nice. Why did I not do this sooner? Sigurd and his girlfriend sit by the pool and are looking what we are doing. Riita teases Sigurd with removing her bikini top. Sigurd takes his pants off. It’s time to go skinny dipping for all of us. We still have some time left until Bjorn and Airki return from Zala’s parents.


	27. PART 2 - Making wrong decisions

[UBBE POV]

It was twenty minutes after midnight and I still didn’t want to go to bed. Margrethe started to lose her patience. “My love, let’s go to bed together. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day. You promised Ivar to pay him a visit in Celenje and even when you travel with your best horse, It will take three days to arrive. A good night of sleep is what you need.”

She was right. I needed my sleep more than I knew. But there was something that I did not know and I was looking for an explanation. My feelings for my wife had changed for the past few weeks. The butterflies in my stomach were gone since we were married and the bees and the birds weren’t able to change this. Margrethe was still the most beautiful girl that knew with her long blonde hair and a wasp-like waist and my younger brother Hvitserk shared this view of beauty with me. But unlike my brother, I did not see a long future with Margrethe. Why did I ever marry her in the first place? Maybe I said only ‘yes’ because my mother Aslaug wanted me to get married at the age of twenty-three? Why did my younger brother not tie the knot with her? I did not know the answer but I knew that something wasn’t right. Perhaps, I should have listened to my own heart but I did not want to disappoint my mother who knew that she would only live long enough to attend the wedding of her oldest son. Aslaug was sentenced to death and died in the snake pit two days after our wedding.

Ivar, my younger brother who got married earlier this year, did not invite Aslaug to his special day. He had a few reasons why he made that decision but it’s not up to me to tell you anything about this. You only need to know that I was not mad at him. I was actually upset that both my parents neglected two of my younger siblings. Even my stepmother Lagertha treated Sigurd and Ivar with more respect. So all those bad stories of stepmothers weren’t true.

Margrethe grabbed me by the hand and dragged me out of our living room. “Did you forget what I just told you? You really need to go to bed. Let me help you.” She untied my boots and took off my belt and laid it on the floor. “You can do the rest yourself.” Margrethe went to another room to gather some clothes and handed me a nightshirt or whatever you called those things. I did not know a lot about clothes. I was more interested in raiding than making a fashion statement. I took my clothes off and Margrethe stared at my body. “You’ve become more chubby, however, I still like your little tummy.” I blushed and Margrethe touched my belly with her left hand. I thought that she wanted to go down on me but I told her to stop. “You told me that I needed a good night of sleep and now you want me to do this.” Deeply annoyed we both stepped into our bed.

I woke up the next morning on the ground of my bedroom. Margrethe was still asleep. She shared our bed with another person who happened to be Hvitserk. He still had his boots on. What a weird brother did I have? Was he so eager to make out with a woman that he did not have any time to undress? And this was not the only thing that bothered me. I was in an open relationship with Margrethe but I still wished that she asked me yesterday if Hvitserk could stay here for the night. Otherwise, I would have slept on a bench in our living room.

And did Margrethe ask me to go to bed early so she could have sex with my younger brother?

I decided not to wake them and took a shower in our bathroom. I removed my nightshirt, opened the faucet and took a look in the mirror. I hated how I looked. It reminded me too much of my abusive father Ragnar. We both had the same hairstyle and he shared my love for beards. Sigurd always told me that he wanted to grow a beard so badly but he sadly could not grow out his facial hair. He had only a six hairs on his chin. We don’t know what the future holds but I was afraid that he wouldn’t get hairier by the year. Sigurd was already eighteen and I had a bushy beard when I was his age. I did not know back then how to take proper care of my facial hair. My father’s friend Torstein learned me everything about beard grooming. He would have been a great barber but he preferred to stay a warrior.

I grabbed the scissors and tried to trim my braided beard, but I was too dumb to acknowledge that this wasn’t my brightest idea. The result was very uneven. There was only one thing that I could do to end this mess and that was to shave my whole beard off with a razor blade. I did not look much like myself with my bare chin. I hadn’t seen my chin for like eight years and that’s a lot for somebody who is only twenty-three. But there was also a positive side: my skin was so soft and never looked so healthy before. Gone were the days when I had a bad skin condition.

Even without my braided beard, I looked much like my father. It did not help that I had his nose and mouth while Ivar had the same bright blue eyes like Ragnar. Only Sigurd did not look like my parents but we know now that we did not have the same father. We were brothers who shared the same mother. Sigurd looked like a clone of his father Airki.

Once again I grabbed the scissors. This time I opted for something that was even more dramatic. I chopped all my hair off. First I got rid of my ponytail and then I shaved my whole head. I did not look that bad with my freshly shaved skull.

I took another shower to get rid of all the loose hairs and got dressed. I left the long braid on the bathroom floor for Margrethe. I wondered what she would think of this.


	28. A house is not a home

[IVAR POV]

I still did not feel at home in our first house. I grew up in a traditional Viking longhouse that was made of wood, stone, and blocks of turf but this solid mass of bricks was very different. It’s also weird to live in a house with many different rooms that you don’t share with your whole family. Returning home after a raid was one of the high lights in my life when I still lived in Kattegat. My mother welcomed me every time with open arms. She didn’t mind that I was regularly soaked in blood. I can’t imagine that Zala’s mother would do the same as Aslaug. She would not allow me to sit in her dining room without a shower and clean clothes. Zala asked me how she could make this house more like a home without breaking walls. Her father, who bought this home for us, would never approve of huge adjustments. The price of this house would decrease if we chose to convert two rooms to one. Neither would Andrej agree if we would get rid of a few windows but that was not something that I had in mind. I loved how light every room in our house was. We only had to use our fire pit in the late evening. My new house had only a very small passageway between all rooms of the house In comparison to my childhood Viking home. The most important room of our house was the living room with the fire pit. It was the place where we invited friends and families for drinks and holiday celebrations. Ubbe, my older brother, planned to visit me in a few days. Zala wanted to surprise him but we still did not know how.

I had a great idea. This house missed the warmth of a Viking house. What if we could decorate the whole living room with wooden panels with rune inscriptions? Zala thought it was a good idea and went to her father. She asked him if he knew somebody who could deliver us wooden panels within a short period of time. Andrej had to disappoint us. It would at least take three weeks to get enough panels for our home. But I hated to give up. Maybe Sigurd’s father knew somebody who could help us in our time of need. He was a famous farrier and had a big network of friends who were also skilled workers.

Zala went to her fathers stable and gathered our horses together. We headed straight to Sandnes. We didn’t pack any food because we knew that Airki would feel honored to make us dinner. We got lucky on our way to Sandnes. A passenger boat invited us for free to come on board with our horses. The captain of the ship was a friend of Zala’s father and their next destination was Sandnes. This way of traveling shortened our travel time. It would only take two hours before we would be in Sandnes. I hoped that Sigurd still stayed at his father's house. I missed him a lot.


	29. The two-headed lamb

[MARGRETHE POV]

I sat straight up in bed and looked around. Hvitserk was still asleep. The son of Ragnar wore his pants on his knees and he still had his boots on. I wondered why he didn’t take off his clothes when we were finished having sex. I could imagine that he was very tired after the deed had been done. Hvitserk had a much better sex stamina than his brother Ubbe and I did not have to fake an orgasm this time. I still haven’t told Ubbe the truth why I preferred to have sex with his younger sibling. Hvitserk had a six-pack while Ubbe rocked a dad body. Ubbe stopped with working out after our marriage. He was a completely different person now and my love for him had cooled down. I wanted to have a fit husband who loved to go out with me, not a significant other who liked to stay at home. Hvitserk promised me that he would take me with him on an expedition to see more of this world, but first I needed to ditch my husband. I felt ashamed to admit that I rather married Hvitserk. Unfortunately, this was not possible when Aslaug was still alive. She told me that I had two choices: I could marry Ubbe and live a normal life or I had to accept that I was a slave girl. I opted for the first option because I did not want to be a slave for the rest of my life.

My own parents were rich merchants from the South before the most dramatic event in my life happened. My father made a bet with Ragnar after a sheep gave birth to a two-headed lamb. If this lamb survived his first year, Ragnar would give my people permission to build on his lands. Sadly, the lamb passed away after a few weeks. Ragnar did not kill that creature with his own hands. It was really mother’s nature decision because one of my father’s servants saw it happen with his own eyes. The lamb was no longer able to feed herself. She died of starvation. What a horrible way to die. The death of the lamb meant that I, Marilis Ambrosia, had to stay in Kattegat for the rest of my life. My parents would never be able to see me again. Ragnar gave me only five minutes to I say goodbye to the servant who stayed with me in Kattegat. I told the servant that this was my faith. He left and Ragnar asked me to follow him. He handed me a linen dress and said that I had become their new slave. I hated to replace my beautiful embroidered gown for this shabby dress. I met Ubbe for the first time on my second day as a slave. He treated me with respect and asked me to make breakfast while Ivar told me that I would become his animal. Since that day, I was afraid of the crippled son of Ragnar.

Ragnar told me that I would not be allowed to leave his lands but he did not treat me like an animal. He expected me to make breakfast for his whole family and I had to help him with his businesses. Ragnar sometimes invited people to his lands because they were curious how he lived here in traditional houses with his people. Ragnar loved living his simple life. It prevented him from getting distracted by objects from the modern era. But there were a few things that he borrowed from the modern times. I guess he was in some way a romanticist. I had a tickle in my throat and went to our bathroom. I stepped on an unknown object in the dark. The object was very hairy, it was Ubbe’s famous ponytail. Why did he cut off his best feature?


	30. Soaking wet

[HVITSERK POV]

Somebody threw water on me while I was still dreaming. Margrethe thought it was time for me to wake up. I removed the wet clothes from my body, untied my boots and questioned the choices I made last night. Why did I wear my boots to bed and where was my fucking brother? Margrethe had Ubbe’s ponytail between the fingers of her right hand. I couldn’t remember that yesterday’s night was that brutal. “Why is Ubbe’s hair not attached to his body?”

“That is a very good question,” was what she said. “I woke up earlier than you and found his ponytail in the bathroom. The whole bathroom is dirty and I think that he also got rid of his beard. You need to take a look at a small braid on the ground.” I walked towards the entrance of the bathroom. “Who is going to clean this mess?” I said. Margrethe told me that the household chores could wait. It was only a half year ago when she was freed from her formal duties as a slave girl. I think that her former self would be very happy that she did not have to clean this dirty bathroom.

I put my boots back on and entered the shower. “What are you doing Hvitserk?” was what she asked me.

“Let me take a shower. You can join me if you want.” She undressed and grabbed her flats. She had the body of an hourglass. She opened the faucet and cold water ran down our bodies. “I’m so cold.” I wrapped my arms around her and closed my eyes. Why was she my brother’s wife and not mine? Aslaug thought that I was too young to be a wedding candidate for Margrethe. I called that bullshit because she was only 3 years older than me.

I felt her hand going down from my belly to my pubic area. Having her touching me was all I wanted in life. No, I was lying, I wanted to have her for myself and not only in this shower. “Why didn't you go after him?” Margrethe told me that she only wanted me and nobody else. “I only had threesomes with you and your brother because it was my only way to have sex with you.”

“Odin, what have I done? Why don’t you divorce Ubbe?” Margrethe told me it wasn’t that simple. She would simply become a slave again. I decided that I had to speak with my father very soon. She would still be a part of the Ragnarssons family if she married me. The only thing that would change between us is our official relationship status.

Margrethe dried my body and she put my hair in a bun. “Don’t ever dare to cut it off like your brother,” she whispered. I would never do that. All the chicks dug my long brown locks.

I helped Margrethe to choose a dress for the day. She looked the most beautiful in red. I gave her a kiss on the cheeks and promised her to have a conversation with my father about our special relationship. We totally forget that Ubbe was missing.


	31. Don't tell Ragnar

[UBBE POV]

It was colder outside than I had anticipated. I saw my head in the reflection of frozen water. Too bad that I did not have a something to cover my bald head. I grabbed my most important possessions and enough money to take a short trip to Celenje. I made sure that nobody saw me leaving, otherwise, they would know when I left Kattegat. It was only yesterday when I realized that I needed to spend some time alone. And there was no better place to do that than on my way to Ivar’s home.

I had a hard time showing emotions. They called me ‘the calm one’ for a reason. I was not like Ivar who became very aggressive if things weren’t going his way. I blamed Aslaug for his. She accepted his misbehavior like it was something very precious. I wondered if Zala made Ivar a better man. I hoped that he had a better relationship with his wife than I had. Margethe and I were like oil and water. We were not compatible.

[HVISTERK POV]

My father was not in the bedroom that he shared with Lagertha. Lagertha asked me if there was something wrong. I tried to pretend that I was not worried but she saw the ponytail in my hands. “Is that Ubbe’s hair, Hvitserk?” I did not know how to react. “Please tell me that not something bad happened to him.”

“The truth is that I don’t know what happened to him. The last time when I saw Ubbe was yesterday in his bedroom.”

“Why were you in his bedroom? asked Lagertha.

“Margrethe and Ubbe invited me to spend the night with them. We played silly games.” I did not want to make it worse by giving too much away. It was hard to keep a straight face.

Lagertha wanted to know which games we played: “Did you guys play truth or dare?”

“Why?” I said. “Because of Ubbe’s hair? The answer is no. Nobody was harmed but yes, we played truth or dare.” I was glad that she really thought that I meant this type of games.

I wanted to walk away but Lagertha asked me to sit down.

“How are you doing since you lost your mother? Do you have a shoulder to cry on when you miss her? It sometimes worries me that all other sons of Ragnar have a girlfriend… except for you. If you prefer to be alone, then it's all good. I just want you to be happy.”

It seemed that Lagertha wanted to mother me and her interest in me felt genuine.

“I’m doing fine except for one thing… I’m in love in with Margrethe and that feeling is mutual. Sometimes I think that Ubbe only married her to please his mother. And this was also the only way to free Margrethe from her position as a slave girl. ”

Lagertha looked shocked but her reaction was the opposite of what her face told me: “I saw it coming. You are always sitting next to Margrethe at the dinner table in our central hall and I saw you two holding hands at the bonfire while Ubbe looked bored.”

“Please, don’t tell this to my father,” I said. She promised me not to tell anyone about my deepest secret.

“If you see Ubbe and Margrethe next time, tell them to come to me. I will never tell them that we spoke about their relationship.”

I left the bedroom and went back to Margrethe.


	32. The third son

[IVAR POV]  
Zala and I arrived in the afternoon in Sandnes. I thanked the crew who let us travel by boat for free. I spotted Sigurd working in a garden. He wanted to tell me everything about his new job, but we had to say hello to Airki first. Sigurd’s dad was not alone because Riita, my brother’s girlfriend, was baking a cake in the kitchen. She gave Zala and I a big kiss on the cheeks. Airki poured wine into a few glasses and began to speak: “It’s good to see you both in good health. I think that Sigurd wants to tell you something.” Sigurds cheeks turned red from embarrassment.

“Ivar, being part of your wedding was the second most wonderful day of my life. Meeting my real father was of course even more important to me. But this is going to change in the near future. I asked Riita to marry me and she said ‘yes’. I want you to be my witness and my dog Marble can be the ringbearer.”

Marble started to bark. He shared our enthusiasm for the upcoming wedding. I asked Sigurd if he and Riita had already a day in mind. “We still have to discuss that with Riita’s parents.”

Who would have thought that Sigurd would be the third son of Ragnar to tie the knot? Hvitserk really has to step up his game. I felt honored being asked to be Sigurd’s witness.  
“Sigurd, well, of course, I'll be your witness. I’m so happy for you brother that you found Riita, the girl you want to spend the rest of your life with.”

We all had another glass of wine before I told the reason why we traveled to Sandnes. “My brother Ubbe will visit us in a couple of days but we’re not finished decorating our home. We need wooden panels. A builder from Celenje said that he didn’t have enough wood and time to do this job in two days and I’m not the most patient person. Airki, do you know somebody who is not only a woodworker but also immediately available?”

Airki told me that his neighbor was a woodworker: “Elias, my neighbor is a woodworker and pipe fitter. He told me yesterday that he is still looking for customers. His prices are very decent. I think he’s at home right now. Why don’t you pay him a visit?” 

I asked him to come with us because I needed his assistance. Sigurd and Riita decided to stay in the living room.

[SIGURD POV]

Riita and I had another few glasses of wine. Riita became very playful after consuming wine. She sat on her back on the couch and lifted her skirt up revealing her blue lace knickers. I took off her knickers and threw them on the floor. She asked me to kiss her, so I kissed her on the face and on the neck. Riita rose up from the couch to remove my dress shirt and took another sip from her glass. She returned to her old place on the couch. We continued kissing and this time it was me who lifted her skirt up. I rubbed her sweet spot and she asked to put my fingers inside of her. She moaned and tried to push me away. “I hear footsteps, they are coming back.” I was able to put my dress shirt back on but Riita had not enough time to grab her knickers from the floor. I slid her lace underwear under the couch. Hopefully, nobody saw it.


	33. Blue knickers

[IVAR POV]  
Sigurd told me that Airki and his neighbor would travel with us to Celenje tomorrow. His help was very much appreciated. We stayed for the night at Airki’s place. All bedrooms were taken so we had to sleep on the sofa in the living room. Sigurd gave us two pillows and huge plaid to make it a bit more comfortable for us.

“I’m sorry that you and Zala have to sleep on the sofa. Hopefully, I’m able to get my own place very soon, Ivar. I’ve just started my own business in gardening. I love working outside and many older people in Sandnes can really use my help right now. I saw many overgrown gardens in my first weeks in Sandnes.  
Airki was very supportive from the start, he did let me borrow his garden tools.  
With that being said, I plan to buy my own tools before I’m going to look for housing for Riita and me.”

It seemed to me that Sigurd and I both made huge changes in our professional lives. Raiding was now something of our past. Sigurd always hated going on raids, I only enjoyed when Floki was still a part of Ragnar’s posse. Working for Zala’s father wasn’t bad. He paid me very well. In fact, he paid enough money that we could fully furnish our house in the style we wanted.

Airki, Sigurd, and Riita said goodbye and left the living room. It was time to go bed. Zala helped me to undo the straps of my braces. I sat on the ground and a blue object had caught my attention. I removed the unknown object from the ground. What the heck? Why would somebody hide a pair of blue knickers underneath a sofa?

“Zala, look what I found. I bet that Airki had sex on this couch with a woman. Why else would you hide this object here? I can’t picture him wearing women’s underwear.” 

We both laughed and Zala started to undress. She wore a pair of comfy linen pants and a white oversized shirt underneath a blue sweater. Zala wanted to keep the oversized shirt on but I told to remove it from her body

“Babe, why are you hiding your body from me?”

“It's winter, and it's bloody cold” was what she said. “Airki turned the heater off when he left the living room.” She kept the shirt on. 

I removed my pants and shirt and promised her to keep her warm but she still insisted to keep her shirt on. She was stubborn like me.

Zala helped me rise. We cuddled up on the sofa and tried to sleep. Tried, because the sofa was too small for two adults. I got closer to Zala and she told me that it was too hot to wear a shirt to bed. “Fine, feel free to undress me if you want, but don’t hide my panties underneath the sofa. I need them tomorrow to brave the cold.” I slipped my hands under her shirt and reached for the hooks of her bra. I could remove both pieces of clothing at the same time. This was the work of a professional. I cupped her breasts they were so warm and soft. I ran my fingers underneath the sides of her panties. I loved the design of these they were much more revealing than those blue knickers. The front part was partially open and the back too. Her butt cheeks were exposed. I slowly pushed her panties down. I wasn’t sure if she was fully shaven at first. I feared for a tuft of hair.  
Zala told me last time that it was quite common for Celenian girls not to shave down under and that was the opposite of what I preferred. I loved smooth sailing. But this time everything was removed. I stripped my boxers off and climbed on top of her. Zala looked down at me and said: “I’m going to keep it this way.”  
“Good girl,” I said and I started to rub my sex against her. She gripped my hips and pulled herself up for a bit. I loved having skin to skin contact with her. That night we were one.

The next morning we made sure to be fully clothed before anybody else was awake. We didn’t want to make the same mistake as Sigurd’s dad.


	34. Lakeside Inn

[UBBE POV]

I couldn't keep my eyes open. I was so fucking tired after a whole day of walking. My legs started to ache badly and I slowed down. I walked another two kilometers before I gave myself permission to rest for an half hour. My stomach started to growl. The nearest Inn was within a short distance. I just had to make sure that I kept going. I read the letters on the Inn’s wall: “Lakeside Inn”. My dad once told me that this was the place to be for lemon chicken wings and custard pie. I entered the Inn. There were not a lot of people there. I saw two men playing chess and barmaid with black curls in a very short dress. She asked me what I wanted to order. I ordered lemon chicken wings and butterscotch beer. The maid served my food and asked if she could sit next to me. I missed having company. She started to talk to me.

“A man like you really needs a beard to be a man.” I was astonished that she decided to sit next to me only to tell me this.

“A real woman keeps her mouth shut while her man has dinner.” She cracked a smile and said: “I like you boy, but I’m not your man. I’m an independent woman who likes the company of lonely men.”

I told her that I wasn’t lonely and I expected her to leave but she came a little closer. “What leads you here?” 

“I’m on my way to my brother and his wife. They are first-home owners and they wanted to show me their house in Celenje. I’d decided to go on feet but I wasn’t prepared for this cold weather. Otherwise, I would have hopped on my horse.”

The woman was intrigued by my story. “Was the weather really better this morning? Where are you from, if I may ask?”

Ragnar always told me not to tell strangers my real name. He had plenty of enemies who would try to capture one of his loved ones. I still gave this woman my real name because I felt like I could trust her.

“My name is Ubbe and I’m the from the village of Kattegat. I don’t think that I have to tell you who my dad is.”

The woman took me by the hand and asked me to follow her. “I’m Idelle and I just finished my shift for today. Maybe it’s better if we continue our conversation in private. Another maid is now responsible for the bar.“

We entered a room on the first floor. Idelle removed her apron and untied her hair. “So this is much better, don’t you think? I met another Viking guy the other day and he was so strong. He lifted me up. He was really a great guy.”

I told her that she lifted my spirit by telling me that we were okay folks.“Most people hate my family because they are afraid that we raid their town and set everything on fire. But nowadays we spend most of our time on making trading deals. I did most of the negotiating for my father.”

“Did?” She said. “ Did your relationship change with him?”

Idelle was really interested in me. “Right now I'm looking for a way to quit the family business. It's a long story, but the short version is that he’s an addicted and abusive scumbag just like my mom who made me do things that I regret. I’m married but unhappy and I don’t know what to do. I’m thinking of divorcing my wife. I like her but not as significant other. ” 

“I can’t help you with that, but you can help me.” Idelle turned around and asked me to undo her corset. I untied the laces.

“What does your wife look like? Is she as pretty as me?” 

“Why are you asking me this? I thought that you liked real hairy men, not a bald boy.” I dropped my pants and pulled my boxers down. I joked that “obviously, not everything is what it seems” and she seemed to agree with that. She stripped and washed her body before I gave her a rimjob. She loved butt play and we had an amazing night together.


	35. Keep yourself occupied

[IVAR POV]  
The next morning we left with four horses and two special carts filled with wood. Elias and Airki handled all the driving duties while Zala and I sat on our supply of wood. The back of the carts was fully covered making it impossible for Elias and Airki to see us in the back of the carts. Zala felt suddenly ill after being 6 hours on the road. I put my arms around her and asked what was wrong. Zala told me that she felt very dizzy but she did not have to vomit. I think she had to deal with car sickness. We didn’t make any stops along the way considering that we only had 1,5 day before Ubbe’s arrival. We wanted to welcome him in a fully furnished and Viking-like decorated home. 

I told Zala that she needed to concentrate on something else than the road. “Here you have my small pocket knife and a short stick. Why don’t you try to decorate this object with runes? I’ve learned you the whole Futhark.” She agreed to give it a try but I did not know how to keep myself occupied while we had to sit on our supply of wood.

I closed my eyes and tried to imagine how Ubbe would react when he saw our home for the first time. He would be clad in leather with sweat on his forehead from traveling with his ever-growing hair in a braid. He would look like his father from head till toe, nonetheless, his personality set him apart. Ubbe had a very calming effect on me. He always told me to breathe in and out deeply before you react. I am a very defensive person and it’s hard to change that behavior but I’m trying. Sigurd told me that Zala had a positive influence on my behavior. That was good to hear.  
I imagined that Ubbe would stand at the front of our house and calling our names. He would forget to call me ‘Tian’ because I never told him that I used a different name on my wedding vows and certificate. I would ask Zala to go straight to our front door with the purpose that Ubbe would stop calling my real name in public. Maybe one day I will tell Zala’s family the truth when I showed them that I was not like my father. But for now, everyone had to play along with me. I said “Tian Ivar Flokison” out loud and Zala started to laugh. “My love, I think that you need to remind our friends that they need to call you Tian when we arrive in Celenje.” Some people like Zala’s father Adrej said that I was a very intelligent guy but I think that my wife is smarter than me. She is always fully prepared for every situation while I like to take risks. 

Airki said that we would arrive in Celenje in an hour. I gave my wife a kiss and reached out to touch her belly. I placed my hand in her pants toward her panties. I knew that the front was partially open and I slid a few fingers in one of the holes. I moved my fingertips to the mouth of her sex but she told me to stop. “Ivar, what is the rune symbol for fertility?” Why did she want to know that?


	36. Working like crazy

[IVAR POV]  
We arrived at six in Celenje. Zala’s brothers Anze and Zan were curious why four horses with two carts entered the village in the evening. I told them that Sigurd’s dad and his friend were going to help me with a home project. They asked if they could help. I told them that they could help us bring the wooden panels inside. They were happy to help us. It took two hours to get the job done. Zala left us in the meantime to make dinner. She prepared bean soup with kale. 

Airki and Elias cut all wooden panels with a saw. Meanwhile, I could start engraving the panels with runes. I was not able to complete this task on this day so I had to do the rest tomorrow. We stopped when it was getting too dark to continue working. Airki and Elias left us alone around eleven. They slept in our two spare bedrooms. I told them to keep the linen sheets clean because I would not have enough time to change them tomorrow. We had the master bedroom for ourselves. We took a shower together before going to bed. Zala dragged a chair into the shower for me to sit on. I was too tired to lean on the handrails. She spanked me on the ass and said “this is what you get for fulfilling your crazy ideas. I never worked so hard in my life as I did today.” Zala helped me to get dry and we fell quickly asleep. 

I thought that Airki and Elias would leave early the next morning but they stayed until the job was done. The back of the sitting area of our living room was now completely decorated with engraved wood panels with runes. The wooden panels gave our living room a more cozy and warm feeling. Gone were the boring white walls. One of my main goals in my life was to stay close to mother nature and this was one of my ways to achieve this. 

We paid Airki and Elias with shillings. Airki said that he didn’t want to receive any money for his work. “We are family and I’m happy to help you, Ivar and Zala. I've waited for the day that I could do something in return. My life is enriched by meeting my son and his friends and family.”

“You are too good for this world, Airki. I’m glad to call you my uncle.” I shook hands with Elias and gave Airki a big hug before they left. 

[UBBE POV]  
I woke up in an unknown room with a dark-haired female by my side. We were both naked but content. “Ubbe, I have to leave now. My boss is waiting for me to come.”  
I asked Idelle who her boss was, but she didn’t want to answer that question. “A pirate turned entrepreneur. You won't know him, but we call him ‘Calico Jack’.”

Idelle grabbed her clothes from the floor and went to the bathroom. She returned after 5 minutes wearing her dress with apron. “I just really want to get to know you better but this is not the right moment for this. Please stay in this room for another two hours and I will pay you another visit when I have to start cleaning this floor." I did what I was told.


	37. Rackham, a generous man

[UBBE POV]

Idelle returned as promised and this time she wanted to tell me more about that Calico dude. “I have now enough time to answer all your questions if you help me clean the floors. But please put your clothes back on first, I don’t want it to happen that other guests see what you have to offer. I want you for myself”. And that was also what I wanted.

She touched my stomach while I buckled my belt. “You’re not the fittest guy whom I had sex with, but there’s something special about you. You are calm, respectful and concerned form well-being while I’m just a whore. ‘Calico Jack’ is Jack Rackham, the brothel owner, and my boss. This is a brothel disguised as an Inn”

Where had I heard the name Jack Rackham before? I think it was Ragnar who told me that he met him once. Maybe their conversation took place here.

“Did you chose to become a whore?” was what I asked her.

“It was my own choice. No, the truth is that I had no other option. My parents were merchants and killed during the Battle of Phiran. Jack Rackham saved me and took me into service. I first cleaned all his houses but later he told me that I could choose between being a cleaner or a high-class prostitute. I chose the latter one because it comes with more responsibilities and freedom. I’m allowed to leave this place every month for 3 days and I want to go with you.”

I told her that I had to think about this. Ivar and Zala expected me to come alone, not with a woman that I just met at a fucking whorehouse.” I could take her with me and tell them that I met her on my road to Celenje. Yeah, that was what I was going to do.

We cleaned all the floors together before I told her that I had a plan. “You can come with me, but you have to lie to my brother and his wife and I want to meet Jack Rackham before we leave.”  
She agreed with my plan and invited Jack Rackham to come upstairs. Rackham looked like a Royal Highness in his very fancy purple suit with golden loafers. We shook hands and Idelle asked him to sit on her bed. He agreed and she started talking. “Jack, I want to have the next 3 days off to travel with this guy.”

Jack stared at my clothing and said: “You’re a Viking, aren’t you?”. I told him that he was right. “I’m one of the sons of Ragnar Lothbrok and I met Idelle here yesterday. She served me lemon chicken wings, butterscotch beer and much more.” There was a look of approval on Rackham’s face.

“Idelle, I’m not surprised that you went after him. He is definitely a good-looking fellow and the son of a very wealthy man who still lives like a farmer. I give you five days off to get to know each other better. I have the feeling that he’s serious about you. I will not interfere with your romantic pursuits. Your future lies no longer here.”

We took a sigh of relief and thanked Rackham for his generous support.


	38. A walk-in closet

[UBBE POV]  
Idelle had to work till six. I patiently waited in her bedroom. All the walls were decorated with Fleur de Lis wallpaper in a powder pink color. It felt very royal and reminded me of France. I’ve been to Paris once. They say it’s the city of love but I had only bad memories of my trip to the capital of France. All the women wore ugly white wigs and ridiculous wide dresses. One woman tried to gain my attention by showing her rack. I didn’t show any interest in her cleavage and she called me “Fils de pute” and the only thing that I could say back was “Nique ta mere!”. I’ve learned that word from my uncle Rollo. 

Idelle had a walk-in closet and I was curious to see what kind of clothing she wore to entertain men. She owned lots of bustiers, slip dresses and nipple pasties. I snatched a set of very interesting looking pasties from a shelf. They were decorated with chains and reminded me of what shield-maiden wore around their necks. I tried one of the pasties on. It felt weird to hide my nipple.

Somebody knocked on the door and I ran back to one of the two chairs in Idelle’s room. Idelle opened the door and walked towards her walk-in closet. “Something is not right here. I’m missing one of my pasties. Ubbe, do you know where it is?” 

I pulled my shirt up to show what I’d done. “It’s here.” She grabbed the other pasty and tugged her bustier a bit down to expose a part of her left breast. She glued the pasty on her left nipple. “Hey, the same thing happened to me.” We both laughed. I slowly removed her bustier and bit on her left nipple. I tried my best to remove that pasty but it was harder than I expected. Idelle removed both our pasties with her left hand while putting her right hand in my pants. She held my cock and started playing with it. This was just foreplay.

She teased removing her panties. I caught a glimpse of her neatly trimmed vagina. I wanted her so bad that I removed my pants and boxers without thinking of teasing her. Idelle came closer to me and she let me strip off her remaining clothes. I asked her to bend over like a fucking dog. I penetrated her and she begged me for more. I ejaculated and it was quickly over because she was tired of this position. “You really like my ass don't you Ubbe?” I smiled and we took a shower together. She let me shave her pubic hair if I promised her to grow my hair out. I agreed to do so. I looked better with hair anyway. Afterwards, we spent an hour in her closet. Idelle tried on different sets of lingerie and she made me choose. I chose a set that was completely see through because I hated when something so beautiful was all covered up in fabrics. Idelle told me that she had a present for me. She handed me a pair of boxer briefs with mesh inserts. “These ones are for lady-killers.” I tried the briefs on without looking how it looked on me.” She started to laugh very hard. “It’s too tight on you.” I took a look in the mirror and she was right.  
This wasn’t something that I could pull of with my majestic beast. “Those briefs are relationship killers.”


	39. Lose some length

[ZALA POV]

We were alone again. I was very sweaty and hated how long my hair had gotten. It grew very fast and touched my shoulders. “My love, I hate that I can put my hair in a bun again. I was so happy the last time you gave me a make-over. Can you do it again?”

“Are you sure? I might fuck it up this time,” was what he said. I handed him two scissors, a razor blade, and a comb. “I wanna go shorter this time and maybe you could give me bangs.”

“Sure, If you want that.” Ivar started combing my hair. “I’m going to give you an ear-length bob with super short sloppy bangs. This means that I need to shave your neck. Are you okay with that?“ I nodded. “That’s fine. Do it. “

He put a part of my hair in a top bun and started cutting the back. He got rid of 3,5 inches of length. Then he slowly untied the remaining part of my long locks. “It will take some time to make everything perfectly even.” Strands of hair fell on the floor. My hair felt very light. I wanted to run my finger through my short hair but Ivar told me to wait. “I still need to shave the back.” He grabbed a razor and told me to sit still. “Don’t move, otherwise I end up cutting your ears off.” It felt amazing to feel the wind on the back of my skull. “I could now understand why many Viking men opted for an undercut. it’s hassle-free.”

“Do you still want bangs, my dear? They take longer to style and I know that you prefer hairstyles that are easy to maintain.” I had to think of an alternative. “Side-swept bangs are maybe a better option then?”

“Yes, babe.” He cut a few locks in the front a little bit shorter. “I’m done with your hair. You look so cute this way.”I looked in the shower and agreed. “Thank you so much.” 

We started kissing and removed each other’s clothes. I asked him to turn around so I could see his tattoo. I could only see a small part of it because the biggest part was now covered with hair. 

“I want to keep it hidden for now. I’m not ashamed of who I am but I like to keep secrets. Oh, and there is a secret that I like to share with you.”

“I told you a few weeks ago that my brother Ubbe is now also a married man. But he wasn’t very happy when he told me that he tied the knot. I think that he regrets that decision. He even told me a few intimate details of his love life. That his wife only likes to have sex with him when Hvitserk is around. That's not how it should be. We had a threesome with Sigurd but that was different. The most important reason why I asked him to come over is because of his relationship problems with Margrethe. We helped Sigurd in the past and now we can do the same for Ubbe."


	40. Shape your own future

[IVAR POV]

We woke up the next morning very early considering that Ubbe could be here any time now. Zala baked a cake based on a recipe of my uncle Airki while I made sure that the whole living room looked presentable. I had even enough time to change the bed linens for Ubbe. Zala heard somebody screaming my name. It was Ubbe. She ran as fast as she could to open the door for him. Strangely enough, my brother was not alone. A girl with dark hair stood next to him. “Come on in Ubbe and..”

“Idelle, my name is Idelle,” said the unknown woman. It was weird that my brother invited a woman whom we haven't met before. Zala told them to follow her to the living room. “Please, take a seat you two.”

Ubbe complimented us on our furniture choices. “Everything looks so put together. I really like how you mixed modern styles with traditional Viking stuff. Tell me your secret.”

I told him that we did not have a secret to spill. “Please tell me everything about this secret lady on your right. Spill all the beans, brother.”

“Well, this is Idelle and I met her on the road. She needed me and I needed her. You know that my marriage with Margrethe is on the rocks. I haven’t spoken to her for 3 days. I plan to speak with her when I’m back in Kattegat and fill for divorce. It’s better for us both to end our marriage. By the way, I just found out that I don’t need Ragnar’s permission since Aslaug is dead. Normally you need the permission of both your parents but when one is dead, you are allowed to make your own choice. For the simple reason that you can’t speak with the death.”

“Wow,” that makes this complicated situation slightly less complicated.” This was the first time that I saw Ubbe smiling in a long time and he was more talkative than his usual self: 

“I wish Margrethe a happy future with Hvitserk. She will still be a part of our family. So in the end, some things will change and some things will stay the same.”

He was right about this. Zala asked Ubbe one question: “What happened to your hair?”

“I shaved my head and beard off when discovered for the millionth time that Margrethe had sex with Hvitswerk in our bed while I slept. But there was another reason why I did this to myself. The way I looked before reminded me too much of our abusive father Ragnar. This is my way to get over the past and move on. I don’t regret this, but I won’t do it again. I even promised Idelle to let it grow out.”

“But what about your hair, Zala? It’s shorter than the last time when I saw you.”

“I needed a change, just like you. I still need to get used to the possibility to shape my own future.” What Zala answered to Ubbe was of the main themes of our evening together. I still needed to find the right balance for me between my primitive Viking background and my modern life in Celenje.” Zala still needed to accept that she could make her own choices. Ubbe still needed to learn to make choices based on his own feelings and thoughts and Idelle’s journey to a better life just started. She told us that she was a high-class prostitute who was free to make her own choices in the future. What we learned from Idelle was how pirates and Vikings were different and alike. And we taught her that we that we would do anything for her to move forward with her life.

Idelle asked us if we wanted to move forward with our sex lives. She wanted to teach us a few sexual tricks. She left the room for 10 minutes because she needed some time to prepare herself. She returned in a short skirt with a top with long sleeves and open shoulders. “ You are my volunteers and I'm going to make you feel good. Maybe I’m going to teach couples in the near future how to have a good sex life in long relationships. I have so much experience.”

Idelle untied her hair let it fall loose. She started moving her hips back and forth. She gave us a sneak peek of her underwear when she twirled with her skirt. I wanted to see more of her bootie. Idelle pulled her skirt up for a second and let us enjoy the view. I wanted to rise up from my chair but she told me to sit down. She came closer to me but told me not to touch her. The Queen of Teasing pulled her thong up, and a part of her underwear was showing above her skirt. She walked up to us and bent over with her ass toward us. I wanted to dry hump her but she told me to sit down, which I did. This woman was making me mad. She pulled her skirt down a bit and her top up. We still weren’t able to see her bra until she slipped her hands under her top. She showed us her underboob. Idelle asked Zala to come forward. “Could you please undo the hooks of my bra?” Zala managed to do this in a few seconds and Idelle threw her bra on the floor. She still wore her top with open shoulders but I could see her nipples through the fabric. Zala was standing next to Idelle who asked if she could unzip her pants. I did not know what was going to happen but I was jealous of Zala. Idelle unzipped Zala’s pants and pushed them a bit down letting us take a glimpse of my girlfriend’s nude panties. Idelle slid her hands in Zala’s pants. “How does this feel?” “Very Good,” she said. Zala started masturbating. We couldn’t see what happened inside her pants but from the looks on her face, she really liked it. Idelle pulled my girlfriend’s panties further down but still not far enough to expose her whole pussy. The Queen of Teasing wasn’t done yet, she put her hand in Zala’s pants and helped her having an orgasm. “You’re so wet, girl.” Idelle licked her fingers clean. I wondered if it was now my turn, but Idelle told me once again to sit down. Ubbe was very quiet but enjoyed what he saw. 

Idelle asked Zala to place her hands behind her back. She pulled out a pair of handcuffs and tied Zala’s hands with it. “First, sit down on your knees with your back against the audience.” Zala did what she was told. Idelle stood now in front of Zala and ask her to remove her panties without lifting up her skirt. “It's doable with cuffs on. But I have to remind you that they are not allowed to see what they want to see.”

Idelle started to give orders: “Ubbe give me your chair so I can sit. You can go back to your place but you have to stand.” Idelle sat on the edge of the chair and asked Zala to come to her.”Kneel before me with your back to the audience.” Idelle pushed Zala’s pants down to her tights and told her not to turn around. “They don’t deserve the best seats in this room.” My wife's perfectly round buttocks were now exposed, however, I'd rather saw her boobs. Idelle opened her legs and Zala started to make circular movements around Idelle’s clitoris with her tongue. Idelle asked us to come forward to enjoy the view. “The party just have started.” 

After a few minutes, Zala stimulated Idelle’s sweetest spot in a different way by licking her clit from the top until the bottom of her labia. While doing so, she used both her hands to stroke the breasts of the Queen of Teasing. Idelle gave me permission to remove her top and skirt and Zala’s clothes. The two women were now completely naked and I compared their tits. My wife was the winner.

Idelle removed the handcuffs and told Zala to lie down on her back. She ordered Ubbe to place some pillows behind Zala’s back.“Now it’s my turn to give, spread your legs and relax.” Idelle started fingering my wife. She asked us to come even closer. “After spreading her wetness this way, you need to look how I separate her lips for the best result. You have to bend your fingers once you're inside to find her G-spot with your fingertips." Zala moaned and I wanted to lick her clit but Idelle had something else in mind: “You can put your pinky finger from your other hand in her starfish while I stimulate her vagina.” It’s was a very weird thing to do but Zala seemed to like this. We needed to try this soon again. 

Idelle asked Zala to change her position: “kneel with your back against me.” The Queen of Teasing also kneeled and started to simulate my wife again with her fingers. “Move closer to me so there is no more space between us. You can touch and massage my behind.” The two women could not see each other and were very concentrated to make the best of this intimate situation. I was so jealous.

I thought that this was going to be the climax but I was wrong. Idelle told Zala that she needed to lie down. Zala did what she was told to do and Idelle positioned herself on top. Both girls' faces were exposed to the sexiest parts of the other for another round of stimulation. I never thought about doing a 69 with my girlfriend before. Ubbe mostly paid attention to Idelle's butt. He's more a butt person while I'm more a boob guy.

Idelle said that she was done with her class: “This is it, a combination of teasing and stimulation tricks. I hope you guys enjoyed it as much as I did." Zala rose up from the floor.

“Ivar, there's still one thing that I want. Could you cut my hair? I want to start over, just like you guys .” Zala handed me the scissors while Ubbe grabbed the chair. Idelle sat down and I cut her hair shoulder length. She lost a lot of her length and her breasts were no longer covered by her long locks. Idelle looked like a completely different person now. She thanked me for the cut and we all took a swim in our swimming pool. Ubbe and Idelle left us the next day.


	41. Bisexuality is not a tragedy

[IDELLE POV]

We left Ivar and Zala’s house in the early morning but we didn’t have any serious plans for the next few days. “Why did we leave your brother’s place after one day? He told us that we could stay there for a while and I really like his wife.”

“I’ve seen it all,” was what he said. “Do you like Zala more than me?” – “Of course not, otherwise I would have left you immediately.” Ubbe laughed.

“But you don’t have a problem with my bisexuality? That I’m attracted to boys AND girls?”

I didn’t even know that this sexual orientation existed before I started working in Rackham’s brothels. Mrs. Mapleton told me that bisexuality was natural and that people only were strongly against it because of what they preached in churches.

Ubbe told me that he hated Christianity. Having sex with someone of the same sex was not a big deal for him and his people. “My stepmother Lagertha does whatever she pleases. She married and divorced my father first, then killed her soon-to-be second husband on their wedding day, had a steamy affair with a much younger woman and remarried my father. Everything is possible if consent is given.”

I was happy that he was very accepting. But there was another thing that made me happy: his hair growth. “Your hair is growing back. I see many stubbles on your scalp. Soon I have my own bear.” Ubbe put his arms around me and said “And soon I have my own second wife. Uhh… I mean my first wife that I really love.”

I gave him a slap in the face. “Mind your words!”

He groaned and muttered, “Hey, this is not spanking but slapping.” 

“It’s not the right time for spanking and you still haven’t answered my first question, Ubbe. Why did we leave your brother after one day? 

“Because I want to spend those remaining four days with you. You make me so happy, Idelle. I thought that I would have to stay the rest of my life in an unhappy marriage without consuming sex but you showed me otherwise. I want to show you Kattegat, the place where I grew up. I know that we have a premature relationship that started out of nowhere but I feel really good about this. I want our relationship to succeed. And more important, I want to divorce my wife as soon as possible. ”

I suggested to my Viking boyfriend to take a boat trip to Kattegat. “It’s the fastest way to travel to your hometown. One of Rackham’s friends owns a boat company and he always gives me a nice discount when I make use of one of his ships. Every ship comes with a private captain so you can rest.”  
Ubbe wanted us to contact him right away. “We don’t have any time to miss. We only have four days left before I have to return you to your master.”

“He is not my master, Ubbe, but neither a friend of mine. Jack is my boss and nothing else. I work for him, paid my dues and soon he will set me free to spend the rest of my time with you. ” Ubbe glanced at me.

“And I fell in love with a whore. How are we going to explain that to our children?”

We laughed and walked together to Port Tojna.

Niilsi Axelsson’s boat company was named after his favorite dog Tonya. I asked Ubbe to wait outside. People in this town would start gossiping about Ubbe’s arrival if they knew he was here.


	42. Cenuroza

[IDELLE POV]

“Miss, can I help you?” said Niilsi. He didn’t recognize me at first.

“Call me Idelle,” I said.

“Idelle, long time no see. I didn’t recognize you. You look so different and you’re wearing pants. If i knew you were coming, i'd have invited you over for lunch. Calico was her last week and he told me about his new endeavors but what brings you here?”

I didn’t want to have a long conversation with him, so I showed him one of my breasts.

He nodded. “Aha, you’re here for a costumer”.

“I need a ship for a short trip to Kattegat. I’m not alone. A bald, older man is waiting for me outside. We have business to do in the Viking settlement. We need to be there by noon.”

“A ship with a captain who brings you today to Kattegat is going to cost you 55 shillings. But…” I flashed both my boobs and he told me it was *only* 30 for today. 

So many men are so stupid. They almost do anything for you when you show them a piece of you. They would go bankrupt for a sneak peek of a body part.

“Then we have a deal” was what I said. Niilsi told me to come back in fifteen minutes.

I went back to Ubbe and he asked me how much we have to pay. “Just 30 shillings.”

“As far as I know anything about commercial boat trips, that is extremely cheap.”

I wondered if I had to tell him what I did to get this deal but I decided to wait for a better moment.”

Ubbe and I went to Niilsi’s small office. A man with a huge ginger beard shook hands with us. “Hello, I’m Veigr Herison, your captain. You might think that I’m from the North by hearing my surname, however, I’m actually from the South. With whom do I have the pleasure of speaking?”

Ubbe and I looked to each other and I knew what he wanted me to do. It was my job to introduce him and lie about his background. “I’m Idelle, but I guess you already knew that, and this mister Herison, is Nokki Reyðr (the red whale). 

“Welcome, Idelle and Mister Reyðr, Please follow me to my boat.” Ubbe gave me a pat on the back and whispered in my ear: “How did you come up with that ridiculous name?” 

“I don’t know, but we have to hurry if we don’t want to lose our captain in the crowd of fishermen.” We ran towards Veigr Herison and stopped in front of a small ship.

“This is Cenuroza, I have a small kitchen in the front of my ship and there is a small room for you and that businessman in the back. You only have to call my name if you need something. Enjoy your stay.“

I took Ubbe by the hand. “Nokki you have to see this….”


	43. A sweet surprise

[UBBE POV]

Our cabin was bigger than what I expected. There was a sofa that could double as a bed, a folding table and small closet with a few books of authors I've never heard of. Sigurd and I were the only sons of Ragnar who loved reading books. I turned the sofa into a bed, took a book from the shelf and pretended to read the book to Idelle. I had a sweet surprise for her but first, she had to be in the right mood. 

“There was a beautiful girl who had almost everything. A successful career, and good-looking boyfriend, but she still had the feeling that she was something missing in her busy life. One day she left her work early to return back home. She got bored of her job and wanted to do something fun. She put a mask on her face and decided to relax on her bed until her boyfriend entered her room. He climbed on top of her.” 

I put the book away and did the same thing. I kissed Idelle after climbing on top. I grinded on her by pushing my crotch against hers. Idelle started to murmur “Please, go further.” I unbuttoned her pants and slid her pants down just a little. I rubbed my hand over her panties for a few minutes before I crawled my finger into her panties to slid them further down. I pressed my mouth against the top of her temple. The timing was perfect to hand her my gift.

I smiled and said: “I have a present for you, love.” I grabbed the two balls from my back pocket and showed them to her. “I bought these while I had to wait for you to come back. I discovered a store in a small back alley with very interesting objects, if I'm allowed to say it myself. I guess you know how to use them.”

“Ubbe, Who would have thought that you, a Viking lad from a very primitive era, would buy me these beads? Nobody ever bought me sex toys I always bought them for myself.”

“I do not want to ruin our party but these kind of objects are actually very old. People have used them for hundreds of years.” Idelle told me that I was right and asked me to help her.  
We didn’t have any lubricant so she spread her wetness around and I helped her to insert the two balls. “How does it feel?”

“Help me to sit up straight,” she said. She started to change positions frequently, moving her hips around and using her leg muscles. “This is so much fun, thank you so much for this well-thought gift.” Idelle was back on her legs and gave me another kiss. 

She opened her shirt to give her breasts some fresh air, “I showed Niilsi my breasts to get a heavy discount. I hope you don’t mind.” I told Idelle that it wasn’t a problem for me. “You’re still mine.”

We enjoyed ourselves til noon and Idelle decided to keep the balls inside her. 

“We will both benefit from this in the future if I keep exercising. By the way, with all the sex we had together, you will lose you ‘dad bod’ in a matter of weeks.” This was the only sports activity that I enjoyed.


	44. Drugs & divorces

[UBBE POV]

We arrived in Kattegat at 12 o’clock and thanked the captain for his service. I hoped that nobody was at home but I had bad luck because Hvitserk and Margrethe sat at the dinner table together in the central hall. Hvitserk saw me and got up from his chair. “Look who’s there, Margrethe! It’s Ubbe and he is not alone. I’m going to call Lagertha right now.”

Lagertha appeared in the central hall wearing an indigo-blue dress with brown boots. “Please Ubbe and the lovely lady you brought here yourself, take a seat. We have to discuss a few important family matters and I think that you already know what’s going on here. Ragnar left Kattegat with Airki yesterday and checked himself into rehab. Without the help of Sigurd’s father, this would have never happened. And Ubbe, Hvitserk told me that you planned to divorce your wife while you were gone.”

I did not know that Airki paid Kattegat a visit. I told Lagertha that she was right about my marriage. “I returned from Ivar’s place in Celenje to end my marriage. I discovered that I don’t need the permission of both my parents since Aslaug’s death. Margrethe would you please be so kind to hand our wedding papers to Lagertha? I’m only planning to divorce you if Lagertha promises you not to change your legal status. I don’t want you to become a slave again.” Margrethe left for a few minutes and returned with the papers and another object.

Lagerths started to speak again. “Ubbe, you don’t have to worry about that. Margrethe will never be a slave again even if she decides not to marry Hvitserk. I’m not like your mother. By the way, I asked Ragnar yesterday to sign the papers for your divorce. He was so high that he signed everything without asking why. I guess this was the only time that his mental state worked in our favor.”

Margrethe and I signed the papers. I felt very relieved. Hvitserk gave Margrethe a big kiss on her cheek. “We can start planning our wedding but first I want to thank my brother. Ubbe, thank you for cooperation in this matter. I planned to say ‘I hope you will find somebody else in the future’ but there is already another woman sitting next to you.”

“The strange woman that sits at our dinner table is Idelle.” 

Idelle started to introduce herself. “With everything I've heard, I would like to inform you that I’m going to tell you something that’s more scandalous than filling for divorce after a few months. I was (or still am) a slave like Margrethe. A man who is professionally known as Calico Jack took me into service. Ubbe told me that Ragnar had met him once. I first did all of Jack’s household chores before he told me that I could choose between being a cleaner or a high-class prostitute. I chose the latter one because I liked to have more money and freedom. This is also how I met Ubbe and how I decided that I wanted to have a different life in the future. I had a talk with Jack and he told me that I could live as a free woman very soon. He gave me a few days of to get to know Ubbe better. And so far, I know more about his family than about myself.”

Everybody laughed and I replied to Margrethe, “Sorry I didn’t want to offend you, but you slept with my brother.” Everbody laughed even harder and Margrethe told me that she didn’t care. “We all have our needs.”

Margrethe handed me my old ponytail. "I didn't want to throw it away. Maybe you can glue it back on." 

"I'm going to miss your humor, Margethe."

Lagertha wanted to say one last thing. "Ubbe, if I were not married to your father, I would have asked you on a date. I think that I prefer you bald head over your old hairstyle. I wish that Bjorn would do something with his boring hair."

Bjorn emerged from a room, "Mother, why do you need to make fun of me? But I agree that I could try something different although Torvi likes these braids."

I told Lagertha that I planned to grow it out again. "Lagertha, I am sorry. I have to disappoint you. I plan to grow my hair out. I want a full head of hair and a goatee."

"We have enough goats here to make that happen," said Lagertha. 

We spend the rest of the day in the central hall. It was nice that everybody immediately accepted Idelle into the family.


	45. Rehab

[NED POV]

I’ve spent the last few months in a rehabilitation center and I absolutely hated it. It was not my own decision to participate in a program for addicts but I had no other choice. I grew up in poverty in London. My mother Daisy Charlotte Low was a wet nurse and the sole breadwinner of the family. My father Richard Benjamin Low, who was an alcoholic too, spent most of our money on drinks. My younger brother Richard died of chicken-pox and my father did not care that his youngest son had died. He kept telling me that life was about the survival of the fittest. Personally, I don’t believe in natural selection considering that I already lost the sight of my left eye and the tip of my right index finger for no reason. What is the point of taking my eyesight and fingertip away from me when you could take my whole body? What kind of fucking selection is that? 

I felt obliged to make my own money when I was around eleven years old. I stole expensive exotic flowers from the market and sold them to professional painters for a lower price than the merchants did. I made around eight shillings a day and I will tell you, that was not bad for a teenager. Too bad that I had to give most of my earnings away to my parents provision. The only present that my father ever gave me was a bottle of vodka as a gift for my twelfth birthday and the rest is history. 

It’s hard to stay sober when everybody around you drinks themselves to death. Beggars and tramps drink large amounts of alcohol to stay warm during the winter months. Right now I have to live with that kind of people on the streets of Yarmouth as a result of losing my home.

But to tell you the truth, my real home is not on the mainland. I’m an islander by heart. 

One thing that I'll never forget about my time in rehab was my first encounter with Ragnar Lothbrok. I was sitting in the back of a room because I wanted to be far away from the other patients and all of sudden a guy with his hair in a braided ponytail was standing next to me. “Is this seat available? To me, you look like the only sane person here.”

I said “sure” and he started to talk. “I’ve been to many places but this place is weird. This is my second day here and an unknown woman begged me to marry her. She was at least twenty-five years older than me. She could be my mother although she smelled like a decayed body. I told her that I was taken, but she kept following me and yelled ‘You can’t leave me here’. Maybe I reminded her of somebody else. Yet deep in my heart, I felt sorry for that old lady that she was visibly traumatized by something. What do you think, man?”

I did not know what to say. “Hello man. To be honest, I don't know what you're talking about but we're all here for a reason, right? I’m a drunkard and you?”


	46. Separate some stuff

[UBBE POV]

Idelle and I were allowed to sleep in Ragnar and Lagertha’s bedroom as long as my father did not return to Kattegat. It was weird to sleep in the bed where my mother gave birth to me and my brothers. Idelle told me yesterday that she only had one set of clean clothes left. I did not want to spend my remaining time with Idelle on washing clothes so I had to look for some clothes. My girl was still asleep while I went to Lagertha. I asked my stepmother If she had clothes to borrow. She came up with an idea: “Aslaug’s complete wardrobe is still in the master bedroom and I still need to make space for my own stuff. Why don’t you clean out her whole closet and let your brothers and partners choose what they want to keep?”

“That’s a good idea but what about Ivar and Zala? They are not here and I don’t expect them to visit Kattegat very soon.”

“Hmm, then I have to take that into account. Did any of Aslaug’s belongings mean the world to Ivar?" I told her that Ivar loved his mother emerald necklace with matching earrings and her dark green cloak with fur lining.

“Would you agree with me, if we keep those items separated from the rest of your mother’s stuff? But what about Aslaug’s large collection of dresses?”

I couldn’t picture Zala wearing one of those dresses with her length. “Zala is at least fifteen centimeters longer than my mom and she prefers nowadays to wear pants. I don’t think that we would make her happy with any of Aslaug’s dresses, Lagertha. But a pair of her leather hand gloves would be nice for the cold winters in Celenje.”

Lagertha handed me Aslaug’s see-through dress and said, “I think that Idelle will have more fun with this dress than the girlfriend of your other brothers. We will divide the rest later.”

I thanked her. “I appreciate how much you care about us.”

“Aww Ubbe, You’re so sweet for saying that, but I’m just trying to make the best of the situation. It’s not my intention to replace your mother, but I want to bring the whole Ragnarsson family together.”

I went back to the bedroom. Idelle was now awake. She sat up straight in bed with her body fully covered with a blanket.

“Where did you go? And what do you have in your right hand?”

“I went to Lagertha to fetch you some clean clothes.” I gave her the see-through dress.

“Do you want me to dress up for you?” she said. “Not now, my love.” I shook my head and told her that she was invited with Torvi and Margrethe to take a look at the clothes of Aslaug with the exception of a few reserved items for Ivar and Zala.

She took a closer look at the dress, threw the plaid on the floor and tried the dress on.

“It fits like a glove,” she said. I couldn’t take my eyes off my beautiful girlfriend. I didn’t deserve her.


	47. ZAPPAREL

[ZALA POV]

Ivar was at work. He helped my father a few days a week with his business. I was not allowed to work for his company because it was unusual for Celenian women to work after their marriage. My father was afraid that my presence would have a negative impact on his business. I hated how conservative people were in this part of the world. I wanted to change this by starting my own firm. My dad gave me a nice sum of money with the purpose that I could start my own company. I decided to go with the name ZAPPAREL for a recycled clothing company. I first thought of using my whole name for my company name but my father said that ZAPPAREL was a much catchier name. 

Right now, ZAPPAREL was still in the start-up phase. I was a single person company with no other people working for me. Because of this, I had to do everything myself. I asked everybody in my village if they had clothes or fabrics left that they did not need anymore. I gathered everything and the second bedroom in my house was now one big pile of old clothes. An old a retired man gave me 300 secondhand work overalls. I decided to use them for my first product line of patchwork dungarees and pinafore dresses. I made a prototype dungaree a few weeks ago of clothes that I didn’t wear any longer. I showed my mother the dungaree and she was very supportive. She gave me her old hand sewing machine and one of her friends brought me her old craft table.

I started undoing all the seams of the work overalls before I cut a few old sundresses in pieces. It became very hot in the room and I had to wipe the sweaty hair from my face almost every five minutes. I was so fed up with the situation that I entered the bathroom with scissors in my hands. 

I said, “Sorry Ivar, but I can’t work this way” and started cutting my own hair. I felt some relief when my hair no longer touched my forehead. I cut my own hair as short as I possibly could with scissors. I did not care what other people would think of my decision to opt for a very masculine look and Ivar would love me no matter what I did to myself.

I took a look in the mirror and I felt prettier than ever. I was now the person who I wanted to be so bad. A woman who was in control of her life. I washed my head with water and returned to the second bedroom. I finished the first two dungarees on this day and I tried one on. The time passed quickly and Ivar was finished with his work. He entered the room with his cane and sat on the bed. “Girl, you've worked hard and you look great! You really have changed a lot the last few months, but I’m not sad to see the old you go. I prefer the new, more confident and muscular you. I love how you worked out by cutting trees for firewood the last few weeks and now by constructing new pieces of clothing.”

I was happy to hear that. “But Babe, can I touch your hair and see the back of your custom made dungaree?” He touched my hair and I turned around. “You’re an amazing tailor, Zala!” I wanted to wear my normal clothes after this. I undid the braces of the dungaree and let my pants fall on the floor. I wanted to grab my linen trousers from the bed, but Ivar asked me to sit next to him. He reached for my body, touching my panties with his hand. Ivar pushed my panties to the side so he could stroke me. “When will you make your own line of pretty underwear?” he asked.


	48. A vulnerable shield-maiden

[IDELLE POV]

Lagertha had gathered all the remaining belongings of Aslaug in the central hall. Torvi and Margrethe were already there when I walked in. Torvi was so busy looking through all the dresses that she completely ignored me when I said “hello” to her. Only Margrethe took the time to welcome me. Torvi wanted to have all the traditional ankle-length linen dresses and aprons. “I prefer to wear traditional clothing because I want to set a good example for my children. Can I have them all?”

I was astonished that she wanted everything for herself. I said, “What do you mean with setting a good example for your children? Selfishness is not a good character trait.”

“I meant to say that I want my children to grow up with a lot of knowledge of our ancestors including the clothes they wore. More and more Viking women have ditched the traditional ankle-length dresses in favor of something that shows more skin.”

It was for me completely normal to show some skin. I wanted to know why Torvi was so against this. “What’s wrong with showing more skin?” I said. Torvi looked at me like I was stupid. “Adele, or whatever your name is, I don’t know where you’re from, but in my culture, It’s quite common to keep some things to yourself.” Margrethe disagreed wholeheartedly with Torvi’s statement and said, “Torvi, that’s not true. Everybody has different standards here.”

“Margrethe, what do you know about my culture? You’ve been only here for a few years and you didn't take it all very serious. You divorced your Viking husband.”

Margrethe didn’t know what to say back to Torvi. I opened my mouth out of frustration: “Margrethe is not the only woman here who filed for divorce. Lagertha did the same thing. Both women had a very good reason to do this.”

I saw that Margrethe was happy that I chose her side. “You know what, Torvi. You can have all these traditional dresses since you're the only person in the room who is a full-blood Viking woman. But Idelle and I can have the rest.” Torvi came to terms with our agreement and remained silent.”

Margrethe told me that she only liked to wear red and a shade of purple. I gave her permission to take every piece of clothing with her that was red or magenta. There were still six necklaces with matching earrings to divide. “Torvi, you can still choose two necklaces and earrings if you want.”

She came toward Margrethe and me. “Sorry that I acted so childish. I was always so jealous of Aslaug that she was always the one who got to wear the most beautiful dresses while I had nothing to choose from. And I’ve always been so insecure about my body but you, Idelle, are so confident.”

I unbuttoned my shirt to open it but Torvi was not happy with my behavior. “Could you please try your new clothes on in a different part of the house. My sons will be here in a few minutes for their lunch.”

I did what Torvi said and grabbed all my new wardrobe additions and moved to Ragnar and Lagertha’s bedroom. There, I removed my blouse, bra and linen pants and proceeded to try a dress on. I was able to zip up the dress by myself but I couldn’t unzip it without help. Lagertha walked past me and asked if I could use her help. She unzipped my dress and now I was standing half-naked eye in eye with the most famous shield-maiden of our time. “You look much better in this dress than Aslaug.” Receiving a compliment from her made me kinda starstruck.

“What other items of Aslaug’s wardrobe do belong now to you?” she said. I showed her a pair of leather pants. “They are brand new, she never wore those.” I tried them on while Lagertha was still standing next to me. The fit of these pants was so extremely tight that my panties came down when I removed these pants from my body. I grabbed my panties and put them back on. Lagertha said nothing about this little accident but I saw her looking at my body. She told me that she had snatched one of the last remaining dresses from the table. “Most women don’t like blue dresses but feel very pretty in this color.” She removed her dress and tried the dress on but the dress was too tight. “Maybe you need to try this dress on without a bra. It’s strapless anyway.” Lagertha unhooked her bra and laid it on the bed. She tried the dress on for the second time. Her nipples were hard under the delicate fabric of the dress.

I saw that Lagertha had a lot of scars. “I did not know that you had so many scars,” I said. “These are my battle scars. I’m proud of them. Without them, I wouldn’t be a shield-maiden.” Lagertha unzipped her dress to show me the big scars on her back. She did let me trace them with my fingers and pulled her panties down for a bit so I could see the rest. A few hairs were peeking out of her underwear. “The biggest scars were a souvenir from France. Kalf saved me there from a brutal death. ”

“But why did you kill him?” - She answered, “How do you know that?” I told her that Ubbe told me many stories of his family. “He betrayed me, took away my earldom and this was the price he had to pay.” I took one step away from Lagertha while she came closer to me. “I would never harm you, Idelle.” We started kissing – and a bit more than that. She pushed her panties further down while standing. Her pubes were neatly trimmed, not shaved. I kneeled in front of her and the most famous shield-maiden draped her leg over my shoulder. “You're not going to choke me off like that?” I said. “Of course not, and I’m the one now who is in the most vulnerable position.” I played with my tongue and licked her vulva. Afterwards, I got up and she pushed my panties down. She planted a big kiss on my temple and said that I was the best addition to the family and a better lover than Astrid. And Ubbe? He did not have to know this.


	49. A certain grace

[ IDELLE POV]

I was looking for Ubbe but found Margrethe in the hallway. ‘Idelle, thanks for standing up for me. This might sound crazy, admitting I think I have not only gained a new sister but also a new role model. When I first saw you yesterday, didn't know what to think of you. You wear mostly wear low-cut tops that show your cleavage and your moves are very playful with a certain grace. Compared to me, you're not afraid to show your very feminine side. Where did you learn to be so sexy but not too sexy?”

I liked her observations but not her phrasing. “Something like being too sexy does not exist, Margrethe. We are not the problem, men need to learn to control themselves. Women should be able to flaunt their sexuality without being sexually harassed. And we can say a lot of negative things about Aslaug, nevertheless, she taught her sons how to treat a woman. Ubbe is a real gentleman. But to answer your question, Miranda Barlow’s lessons had a huge impact on me. Sadly, I don’t know where she lives nowadays. However, there is another woman who played a large part in my upbringing. Her name is Mrs. Mapleton and she’s an older brothel madam. Trust me, she won’t make a prostitute out of you, it’s just that she knows a lot about being a woman. I can give you her address information if you want.” I wanted to tell her that I want to coach people in the near future. But she was more interested in what happened to Miranda Barlow.

“How does it come that you lost track of Miranda Barlow?” she asked. “That’s a very long story,” I said. “I will tell you the whole story another time. But I told you yesterday that I lived a completely different life before I set feet on this shore. My clients were pirates and the sons of rich merchants and they wanted to get rid of her. She is now somewhere safe and sound.”

“At least that poor woman is safe.” I told Margrethe that I needed to find Ubbe. “Do you know his favorite places in Kattegat? So far, I’ve only been in this house and I don’t want to get lost in this Viking settlement. ”

She started to laugh and I didn’t know why. “I think you can find him in Bjorn’s house. Bjorn helps Lagertha with all the trading deals until Ragnar returns. I bet that Ubbe wants to see how things are going without Lothbrok’s assistance. What are your plans for the upcoming days?”

I told her that “I’m going to spend my remaining three days in Kattegat. Boring, but for now good enough to get to know Ubbe better.” 

I was still holding all my new clothes in my arms. “I’m leaving you for now. Have a great day, Margrethe.” I left the main building and Hvitserk followed me. “Lagertha wants to see you tonight with Ubbe. She will be waiting for you in the bathhouse.” I wondered why she wanted to see us there and not in the main building.


	50. A gift from King Ecbert

[UBBE POV]

Lagertha welcomed us in the bathhouse. I haven’t been here before because it wasn't officially open yet. She asked us to sit on the wooden benches. “I've invited you here to discuss your future plans Ubbe. You're not really a talker but maybe this location makes it easier for you to tell me what’s going through your mind right now.”

“The first thing that goes through my mind right now is why Ragnar and you are now the proud owners of a Roman bathhouse in a primitive Viking settlement even though Ragnar always told me that he wanted to live frugal like his ancestors. This is ridiculous!” 

Lagertha had a letter in her bag and handed it to me. The letter was written by King Ecbert and explained everything. The Roman bathhouse was a gift and was built in remembrance of our dear friend Athelstan. “We couldn’t say no to this, it’s a well-thought gift. Turning down Ecbert’s offer could have a negative influence on our personal relationship with the monarch of Wessex. I’m still happy to call him a friend. Let’s move on to another topic. What are your plans for the future?”

I said, “Why are we changing subjects so fast? Is there something you don’t want to talk about, Lagerta?” Lagertha’s cheeks turned red. “Bjorn told me that you had sex with Ecbert and Idelle told me that she was pleasantly surprised with your sexual stamina.” I bet she didn’t expect me to know this.

Idelle stood up and said, “I cherish my open relationship with Ubbe and therefore I told him about our little adventure in your bedroom.I hope you don’t mind. It does not happen very often that you find a man who accepts your bisexuality and is up for experimental stuff.”

Once again I grabbed an item from my back pocket. “We both know that life can be crazy, so let me be crazy: Idelle, do you want to marry me?” She said “yes” and tears ran down her cheeks. Lagertha gave us both a big hug and said: “I gave Ubbe this ring when he returned from Celenje. It was from my own mother who gave it to me when I was your age. Bjorn’s wife already owns a similar ring and thus she won't be jealous.”

Idelle told me today that Torvi wanted almost everything that belonged to Aslaug. “She is not the most easygoing person in Kattegat,” said Lagertha.

“Hvitserk asked me today if we were interested in having a double wedding,” I said. Idelle was up for it: “Let’s make it on big love fest”. I removed my blouse because it was so hot in the bathhouse. Lagertha wished us a good night and left the bathhouse. I heard some noise at the back door of the bathhouse. It was Margrethe who entered the building because she wanted to know if we agreed with a double wedding. “Margrethe, she said yes to me and yes to a double wedding.” Margrethe was happy to hear that and left immediately. (She knew what it meant when I was not fully dressed.) “Have fun, guys.” We took a bath and understood why Ecbert had a thing for Roman bathhouses.


	51. A dreadful day

<<< SIX MONTHS LATER >>>

[IDELLE POV]

The hairstylist had just left and I was not very happy with my wedding updo. I hated this looped bun with messy side twists. It was too voluminous and old-fashioned for my liking in combination with my dreads on the back of my had. My regular hairstylist Nadeen had dreaded the back of my hair a few months earlier at my request, but she had no time to do my wedding hair. Lagertha was standing next to me she felt that I was not very happy with the result. “Maybe, we have to come up with an alternative. Tomorrow is your big day and you really need to shine. I just heard that Ivar and Zala have arrived in Kattegat.” I asked her to bring Zala inside.

Zala opened the door and gave me a big hug. “I’m so happy to be here, but you look so sad, Idelle. What’s going on?”

I had a hard time finding the right words due to the fact that I was in an awe of seeing Zala’s hair. She was like a chameleon, changing her appearance regularly. She had now a mini bowl cut op top, a shaved back and a few longer locks near her ears. I bet this sounded ridiculous but it really looked good on her. “How did you come up with that hairstyle?” I said.

“I’m these days so busy with my clothing company that I wanted a hairstyle that was less time-consuming than my bob line. I just grabbed a pair of scissors and did what felt good to me. It was first even shorter than this and now I'm addicted to experimenting.”

“You’re such a punk”, I said. “But what would you do in my situation? I hate this wedding hairstyle. Please be honest. Lagertha and I already tried a flower headband but that didn't do it for me. I’m not a very bohemian girl like Margrethe and Helga. We are more spunky, Zala.”

Zala plucked the pins from my hair and Lagertha gave her my hairbrush. “Let’s see how your hair looks when your hair is down.”

“Your dreads are shorter than the rest of your hair. I never saw so much shrinkage,” she remarked.  
“And they are still baby dreads,” I said.

Zala told me that my dreads deserved to be the center of attention on my wedding day together with my dress. “If I were you, I would dread a bigger part of my hair and shave the sides off. And I would keep a little bit of hair near the ears like I have now. I have to tell you that a few Celenian girls have started to copy my look. They opted for smaller sides shaves though.”

“You’re a trendsetter now.” We both laughed. Zala she was not finished talking: “I only have to remind you that those new dreads won’t look as great as the few ones that you already have. It takes more time to make them look really good.”

I told her that I loved her suggestion. “Let’s do this”.

Lagertha handed Zala Ragnar’s razors. “I forget to tell you, Zala, that he won’t be here tomorrow. But he agreed with both marriages, he already signed the papers.” It was not common practice for Vikings to have wedding papers but Zala, Margrethe, and Idelle preferred to combine their cultural traditions with Viking practices.

Zala asked me to sit down. She put all my dreads and a part of my hair in one ponytail and the rest in two other ponytails. She hacked two ponytails off. The remaining hair on the sides of my head was super short before she shaved my head. Zala used the back comb method to dread my remaining hair and used the hair that we cut off before to extend the dreads. It took us more than six hours before we were finished for the day. We were starving but Astrid brought us dinner.

Lagertha handed over her mirror. My newly formed dreads were shoulder-length and the rest of my head felt smooth. I could be Zala’s elder sister with this hairstyle.

“You both did a better job than the professional stylist. It’s nice that everything came together” I said. Lagertha put a hat over my hair and told us to follow her to the bathhouse. (My wedding look was still a surprise for Ubbe.)

Lagertha and Zala had two surprises for me. Zala had made a cool leather harness with runes that I could wear over my wedding dress and Lagertha offered to give me a nice massage.

I untied my wrap dress and opened it. Lagertha started massaging my back using firm and steady pressure. She applied oils with both her hands. This was really what I needed in order to be able to tackle tomorrow. I was afraid of oil stains and ditched my bra. Lagertha rubbed my back and her hands slid down my shoulders. Her hands cupped my breasts and she started to massage them as well. I bit my lip, forcing myself to enjoy the moment. Next, she reached for my midriff. I ached for more. She played with the elastic band of my high cut panties. “Is it okay if …” I nodded yes. She slowly lowered my panties exposing my noms. She pulled out a razor and made sure that all my pubic hair was removed for my big day. But we weren’t finished yet. The shield-maiden kneeled and stuck her tongue out. She licked my vulvar lips and moved a bit with her tongue while on and off kissing my inner thighs. It all felt so good. It was clear to me that she had much experience and knew exactly what she was doing. I wondered if Astrid knew about my fling with Earl Ingstad. However, my neck was still very stiff. I asked Lagertha if she could move on to this part of my body. She happily volunteered and used a special lotion to knead my neck and the sides of my head. I felt whole again and we three took bathe to top this day off.


	52. Double wedding drunkenness

[IDELLE POV]  
I don’t remember much of our double wedding day. What I still know, is that Ubbe removed my nightcap after waking up. He was shocked by my sudden change of appearance. “What have you done to your hair? Have you shaved half your head while I did my best to grow my hair back? It's a very dramatic change and I don’t know if I like this look on you. Now, I’m questioning marrying you because I don’t like it when you keep secrets from me. Besides that, you broke our promise, Idelle. Why haven't you discussed this with me before you made an appointment? I'm very disappointed with your choices, I imagined us walking down the aisle as a classy couple, not like a dystopian duo. First, you opted for a shorter wedding dress and now this.” 

Ubbe walked away to think and took a shower to relax. Every minute he was gone felt like a million years. He came back naked into the room with a smirk on his face. I said, “I’m sorry..” but he began to speak: “It's not you, it’s me.” Tears started to flow down my face. “Are you breaking up with me?” – “No, you’re wrong. I owe you an apology, Idelle. I’m the one who needs to make a drastic change in my behavior. I do not own you and I can’t handle sudden changes well.” This was one of the reasons why I chose to marry Ubbe. He was the most honest, hardworking man I knew.

“Please come forward, my love. I want to have another look at your new hair.” I embraced him with tears in my eyes. He patted my head. “So you’ve locked all your remaining hair with the exception of two small locks near your ears?” I said “Yeah.. that pretty sums it up. I already had a small party in the back but I wanted a festive head.” I slowly hovered my hands around his inner thighs and crotch area when I kissed him. “Are you ready for the big day?” “No, but I’m ready for you.” Ubbe lifted me up and I put my legs around his waist. He lowered my panties, spanked my bare bottom and we made out. Sadly, this session only lasted ten minutes. We had to go ready for our big day. 

We were both very nervous so we started drinking in the early morning. We got very drunk when we tied the knot in the central hall and then everything went wrong. Ubbe answered, “I really have to take a piss” when Lagertha as wedding officer asked him: “Do you take Idelle Agatha Harrington to be your wife?” The whole crowd laughed including Hvitserk and Margrethe who already were husband and wife.

Ubbe ran away and returned after emptying his bladder. “Yes, I take Idelle as my wife.” Lagertha had to tell him twice that he had to call me by my complete name. But the worst had yet to come. Ubbe cut the wrong cake. He had completely forgotten that we had a double wedding with Hvitserk and Margrethe. And then Bjorn intervented to prevent Ubbe from making himself look like an even bigger asshole. He dragged my husband to our bedroom and said, “Ubbe, you need to stay here until you clean up your act.” I spend the remaining time of my wedding by Lagertha’s side. She told me that Ragnar was doing well but she did not like it that he befriended another addict. "Hopefully Ubbe will not become an addict in the future. " 

"What kind of addiction are we talking about?. "Hopefully not a sex addiction because that's the most expensive addiction to feed." joked Rackham. "How do you know that?" said Lagertha. "I'm an entrepreneur, Idelle's former boss, and I help people recover from addiction." I started to laugh. I didn’t want to invite Calico Jack but I felt obligated to do so. After all, he freed me from my duties and even gave me 800 shillings to start my new life as a married woman. 

“Idelle, I wouldn’t have recognized you if you didn’t wear a wedding dress. “You transformed from a serving wench into Viking warrior in a matter of months. The Viking lifestyle really suits you. Can I talk to you in private for a moment? I asked him to follow me to the stables. "You told me months ago that you had sexual intercourse with another son of Ragnar before you met Ubbe. Did that young man ever recognize you when you arrived in Kattegat? I told him that "he didn't recognize me or he just acted that he didn't know me". We returned to the main hall. 

Hvitserk and Margrethe danced the night away in matching white linen clothes and Sigurd told me that I was the most beautiful bride ever. Riita, his girlfriend, was not amused to hear this and said, "Soon I will be the best-looking bride." And you might wonder where Floki and Helga were, they weren't able to come but they had a good reason: they just lost their daughter.


	53. Sober

[IDELLE POV]

Ubbe was finally back to normal when I returned from our wedding fest. The last person had just left and Bjorn, Sigurd, Riita and Zala cleaned up the mess. “I’m sorry for ruining not only our wedding but also the most special day of Margrethe and Hvitserk’s life.” 

“Don’t be so overdramatic,” I said. “They thought that you were pretty funny. By the way, Margrethe liked the taste of our cake more. Your cutting act was a blessing in disguise.” 

Ubbe still wore his clothes for special occasions and I had still my wedding dress on. “We still need to consummate our marriage,” I said. “Do you Ubbe Ragnarsson take off your clothes to impress your wife with your sexy body?” “Yes, if you allow me to pee first.”

Ubbe went to the bathroom and returned without his shirt on. He lifted me up, put me on the table and climbed on top of me. “I need to investigate your body,” he announced. My hubby pushed my dress down my waist and pulled my bra up over my breasts. He brought his hands up to cup my breasts. He began gently biting my nipples after running his tongue around my areolas. He pulled my dress further down after removing my bra and pressed his body against me. I felt his manhood hardening. I unbuckled his belt and removed his trousers. I wanted to be on top of him and therefore I said, “Can you lay on your back?” He agreed with my suggestion and we changed positions. I slid his boxers down his legs while he tore my panties down with his bare hands. I looked up at him and I saw Ubbe smiling from ear to ear. "Sweetheart, we have to change positions once again. I can't work this way." I helped him to get up and he got on top for the second time. Ubbe whispered,"Let my fingers do first what they do best” into my ears. I felt his fingers making their way to my entrance. He rubbed my clit and ground his hips against me before he pushed my lips apart with his erection. Then he infiltrated my body with his sex. He pushed harder and harder to fulfill his deepest desires while my biggest wish was to go to bed. “Sweetheart,” I said. "This is enough for today. I had to socialize for more than ten hours today while you spent at least five hours in our bed." I sprung from the table and jumped on our bed. “You can’t be tamed.” - “No, Ubbe Ragnarsson you're much worse than me. You're a real animal in bed.” He laughed and grabbed the blankets to tuck me in. "Have a good night, my love." "Good luck trying to sleep when you're just awake," I said.


	54. A family gathering

[NED POV] 

I was friends with Ragnar in the clinic but I didn’t keep in touch with him after my release. Ragnar found me living on the streets when he was finally discharged from the clinic. He was on his way back to Kattegat but he wasn’t able to find a company who allowed him on board. It would take him four months to arrive at his home without a ship. He asked me If I knew somebody who could help him. I promised him to help him if he gave me something in return. I needed money to travel back to the Islands and he was a very rich man.

I knew another rich man in the person of Jack Rackham, a good friend of mine who had many brothels and he was also friends with Niilsi Axelsson, a guy who owned a boat company. Jack would do me a favour. I saved Calico’s life a few times in the past and now it was his time to do something for me. There was a small change that I could find him here at Niilsi’s boat company. Jack frequently made use of Niilsi’s ships. Ragnar and I walked towards to company. Niilsi recognized me and asked where I had been. I told him that I spend a few months in rehab and that I was released a while ago. 

“I was in rehab, made some new friends there, like this guy who is standing next to me and now I try to get my life together. I’ve lost everything, Niilsi. My home, all my money and a half year of my life. Is it possible that you let me borrow one of your ships for a few days? I will pay you back later. ”

Niilsi looked serious. “Ned, I know how you feel. I hit rock bottom when I was twenty-five and Calico helped me building this company. I will borrow you a boat at no costs because I know that you saved Calico’s life many times. We, brothers of the seas, need to look after each other and pay it forward.”

I was relieved to hear this. “But who is this interesting looking character next to you?” Niilsi asked.

 

“He is a sea rover.” “No, I’m not,” said Ragnar. “I’m Ragnar Lothbrok King of Kattegat and a former junkie, just like that guy on my right.” Ragnar and I laughed.

Niilsi looked bewildered. “I’ve heard many stories about you, King Ragnar Lothbrok.”

“You can call me Ragnar. We aren’t so much different after all. We all love making money, the sea and beautiful women, don’t we?”

“Jack was here a few days ago. He told that one of your sons, Ragnar, got married to one of his former prostitutes. Idelle was her name and Jack attended the wedding of his former employee.”

“That is new information for me”, said Ragnar. I know that my son Ubbe wanted to fill for divorce but I did not expect him to tie the knot with another woman so soon. And why did he chose to marry a whore? How did they meet?”

Niilsi invited us to come inside in the cabin of one of his biggest ships: “We'll continue with our conversation in the cabin of one of my ships, follow me.” We moved to the ship.

“I don’t know all the details,” said Niilsi. “But I guess that your son met his new wife in one of Calico’s brothels.” “That is a possibility,” said Ragnar. “I actually met Calico once in one of his brothels. We had there a very interesting conversation about our careers. We had more in common than I thought.”

“Calico is a jack of all trades.” – “He really is.”

“Jack told me that he did not know why Idelle chose to get married so soon. But they looked extremely in love with each other. I only know this, because Jack was not the only person who met the lovebirds in person. I met Idelle and Ubbe also some time ago in Port Tojna. They rented one of my ships with a captain. I can tell you that your son has a good taste in women. I think this is everything that I can tell you about your own family while you and Ned were locked up in that clinic.”

Niilsi, Ragnar and I left the cabin and Niilsi showed us our boat. “I don’t think that I have to tell you anything guys,” said Niilsi. Ragnar and I thanked Calico’s friend and left Port Tojna.

[RAGNAR POV]  
We set feet on Kattegat’s shore the next morning. I paid Ned a big amount of money and we parted ways. He promised to visit me in the near future.

Hvitserk saw me in the harbor and he ran back to the great hall. Hvitserk came back with Lagertha and all my other sons with their wives. Maybe Odin told them that I would arrive on that day because most of my sons lived now on their own in different towns. This could not be a coincidence. “Father, I’ve missed you so much,” said Hvitserk. I gave all my sons a big hug and their wifes a steady handshake. My sons looked now all grown up. Ubbe and Ivar looked the most different than I remembered them. Ubbe had now shoulder-length hair and a goatee and Ivar wore his hair in a bun to show off his tattoo.

I was so proud of all my sons and extremely happy that we all got together in the family home. My whole family took a seat in the central hall. 

“Father, I’m sorry that you weren’t able to attend my wedding. But we were so in love that I didn’t want to wait 'til your return,” said Ubbe.

“I don’t mind your choice to marry Idelle straight away. I would have done the same and your step-mother and I were married after three months of dating. It’s a family thing.” We all laughed. 

“The same thing applies to me,” said Ivar.” “But I have a better reason for not inviting you.” 

“You left me in Celenje,” said Ivar with a sad face. I saw a few tears running down his face.

“I’m so sorry, my sons. I’ve been a shit father the last couple of years and my addiction is not an excuse for my bad behavior to all of you. I hope that we can reconcile by spending more time together, Ubbe, Ivar, and Sigurd. And Sigurd, thank you for your short note. You have a bigger heart than me just like your real father Airki.”

“Don’t say that, Ragnar.” Sigurd burst out crying. 

“Airki and you are both my real fathers. You saved me, that is something that real father’s do.”

I said, “I can learn something of all of you.”

“Dad?” asked Sigurd - “Sigurd?”

“Riita and I plan to get married in the future. Do you want to be our bridesmaid? Ivar and Riita’s father are already the people who we have in mind to be our witnesses and Airki is going to be our wedding officer. I bet you look great in a dress.” My whole family laughed.

“Zala can make your dress,” said Ivar. “She is nowadays a successful clothing designer with her own company.”

We spend the rest of the day in the central hall. This day was one of the best days in my life. I love my sons and my new extended family.


End file.
